A key component in many successful community college adoption campaigns has been participating in communities of practice (CoP). Members of the CCCOER community of practice from across the US and Canada will share how participating in and leveraging the community activities supports their design of effective open educational practices and policies at their college.
Panelists:
Quill West, Open Education Project Manager, Pierce College District, CCCOER Advisory board president.
Sue Tasjian, Jody Carson, Northern Essex Community College, co-leaders of the Massachusetts Community College Go Open project.
Regina Gong, OER Project Manager, Lansing Community College
Jason Pickavance, Director of Educational Initiatives at Salt Lake Community College
Alisa Cooper, Glendale Community College Faculty, co-chair of the Maricopa Millions OER project.
Educause’s definitive Communities of Practice Design Guide: A Step-by-Step Guide for Designing & Cultivating Communities of Practice in Higher Education (Cambridge, Kaplan, Suter, 2005) identified 4 key activities that support the identified purposes of a CoP:
Develop Relationships and Build Trust
Learn and Develop Practice
Carry Out Tasks and Projects
Create New Knowledge
Develop Relationships and Build Trust
CCCOER members build community through participating in an active online discussion forum where new information and activities related to open educational practice and policy are shared. Members use this forum to get expert advice on finding and adopting OER, motivating faculty, involving students, and many other topics. Both asynchronous and synchronous online meetings are scheduled monthly to further support interactions.
Learn and Develop Practice
Monthly webinars and advisory meetings feature OER thought leaders from within the community and outside. These activities keep members tuned into new research findings, OER collaboration opportunities, and open education policy updates. Members are strongly encouraged to share their early project successes during online meetings and get feedback on various approaches. The CoP involves members in selecting specific topics for meetings and the annual member survey provides another vehicle to involve members in developing the focus for the CoP. Volunteering to serve on the executive team gives members experience in helping to build a CoP that reflects the diversity of its members.
All professional development webinars and other online meetings are recorded and provide ongoing artifacts for exchanging new knowledge. A campus OER toolkit is being revised to reflect new and evolving understanding of open educational policies and practices.
Carry Out Projects and Create New Knowledge
CCCOER panel presentations and workshops are organized at regional and national conferences to provide an opportunity for members to work together in-person, promote their OER adoption successes, and share new knowledge with colleagues throughout higher education. Panelists will describe how their participation in the CCCOER has informed and strengthened their local OER projects and helped them create and exchange knowledge with newcomers and experienced OER practitioners alike.
CCCOER works with over 250 colleges in 21 states and provinces to promote open educational practices and policies to expand access and to enhance teaching and learning at community colleges.
