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Appalachian College Association
Collaborating for Appalachian Higher Education

Open Appalachia: Open & Affordable Resources Initiative

On Friday, February 14, 2025, the ACA will hold its second annual virtual conference focused on Open and Affordable Resources (OAR). 

📖 Empowering Students Through OAR: Discover how OAR can address the unique challenges students face in today’s evolving academic landscape. From reducing barriers to promoting engagement and inclusion, sessions will highlight actionable strategies to enhance teaching and learning.

🔗 Practical Tools and Strategies: Learn step-by-step processes for adopting and integrating OAR into your courses. From curating high-quality resources to designing effective instructional strategies, attendees will gain access to tools like resource repositories, templates, and guides to streamline implementation.

🤝 Interactive Collaboration: Engage in hands-on activities and open forums designed to foster collaboration. Whether you're creating an OAR action plan, sharing best practices, or exploring new ideas, you'll leave with personalized strategies tailored to your institution and discipline.

🎙️ Innovative Approaches to Teaching: Explore unique ways to enhance engagement, such as incorporating podcasts and other real-world applications into your courses. Gain inspiration and practical examples to create dynamic learning experiences for your students.

🌟 A Space for Connection and Growth: Throughout the conference, attendees will have opportunities to connect with peers, exchange ideas, and reflect on how OAR can transform their teaching practices.

This conference offers something for everyone—from seasoned OAR users to those just starting their journey. Don’t miss this chance to gain practical insights, foster collaboration, and take your teaching to the next level. Register today to reserve your spot!

 

REGISTER

Session Time  Session Title  Presenter  Session Description  Recording link
9:30-9:50 am EST  Opening Sara Parme & Heather Tompkins, ACA We’ll begin the day by setting the stage for our discussions on Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Access Resources (OAR). This introduction will highlight the increasing role of OER/OAR in fostering equitable and innovative learning environments, as well as the practical benefits and challenges of their adoption. Attendees will gain a brief overview of the sessions ahead and how each contributes to the broader conversation about accessible and effective teaching resources.  
10:00-10:50 am EST  Empowering (Post-)Pandemic Students with OER/OAR: Meeting Needs, Building Strengths 

Catherine Wilbur 
 
Instructor of English 
 

University of Charleston (WV) 

This virtual presentation explores how Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Access Resources (OAR) can address the challenges faced by students in the (post-)pandemic landscape while leveraging their strengths. It offers actionable strategies for integrating these resources into higher education curricula to foster belonging, competence, and autonomy. The session begins by examining students’ unique needs, such as increased social isolation, anxiety, and disengagement, while celebrating their digital adaptability and resilience. It then highlights how OER and OAR create equitable, inclusive learning opportunities by reducing financial barriers and offering customizable content tailored to diverse learning needs. Participants will engage in an interactive activity to collaboratively develop an OAR action plan. They will identify a specific student challenge, brainstorm potential OAR solutions, and outline actionable next steps for adoption or creation. Designed primarily for faculty teaching first-year students, this session is open to all educators seeking to enhance teaching practices and support student success. By fostering collaborative discussions and sharing insights, attendees will gain practical tools to effectively utilize OER and OAR, ultimately enriching their students’ learning experiences.  
11:00-11:50 am EST Expanding Topics and Opportunities with Open Education Resources  Jason Caudill 
 
Professor of Business, Management Information Systems 
 
King University (TN)
Open Education Resources (OER) are gaining attention throughout higher education, with many studies identifying benefits to their adoption. The presenter recently designed a multi-course graduate concentration utilizing only OER texts for the learning materials, and currently teaches several courses that rely in whole or in part on OER materials. The unique advantages of this approach will be explored. The presentation will cover the range of OAR adoption, from need identification, to searching, to adoption. This process will be integrated into a discussion of instructional design, including elements such as curating and incorporating complimentary materials into either new or existing courses. Key takeaways for the audience will include a list of primary resource repositories, a flowchart of adopting and adapting OER resources for use, and ideas about integrating OER resources into overall instructional design.   
12:00 - 12:50 pm EST  Dr. OARlove: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Use Open and Affordable Resources Dr. Chris Cain (Mars Hill University), Dr. Chuck Pearson (Tusculum University), and Dr. Noah Soltau (Carson-Newman University)

Do you have concerns about the quality or availability of Open and Affordable Resources (OAR)? Struggle with the knowledge needed or the time required to find and adopt OAR? You’re not alone. Join us for an engaging panel discussion featuring faculty who once shared these doubts but ultimately became OAR adopters. 

During this webinar, you’ll hear real-world stories about how these educators: 
 

  • Addressed concerns about the quality of OER materials. 

  • Managed the time it takes to find and integrate resources. 

  • Navigated the knowledge gap to become confident OER users. 

  • Discovered available resources for their specific courses and disciplines. 

By the end of the session, you’ll walk away with practical tips, inspiring stories, and actionable advice to help you stop worrying and start exploring the transformative potential of OAR in your classroom. 

 
1:00-1:50 pm EST  Can Anyone Help Me Find Open Access Resources (OAR)? The Challenges of Finding and Using Quality Open Access Resources 

Walter Wimberly 
 

Assistant Professor of Computer Science  

 
Tusulum University (TN)

With traditional textbooks, there are just a few publishers available with sales reps that can help guide you to various textbooks, making finding resources relatively easy. However, this does not exist for Open Access Resources (OAR). This session will be an open forum on ways to find and share open access resources to make them more usable in the classroom. The presenter will share ways to easily locate and share resources. The anticipated learning outcomes will be that attendees will find online resources that they can use, know how to share resources with other educators, and be able to more easily find/generate questions and assignments for a topic. The intended audience is instructors who are new to using OAR, who are looking for resources to use, and who want to add resources for others to use.   
2:00-2:50 pm EST  Integrating Podcasts to Enhance Student Engagement and Real-World Application Ronda Engstrom 
 
Assistant Professor of Criminology 
 
Davis & Elkins College (WV)
Podcasts are excellent OA resources to use for student engagement and help them connect course concepts to real world examples. In several of my classes, podcasts are an integral part of my course and I have found that students enjoy listening to real world juvenile justice and other true crime cases. They become highly engaged with the cases and this sparks stimulating class discussions. I will highlight the classes (juvenile justice and women and crime) in which the podcasts are fully integrated into my courses.  An overview of the podcasts used in these courses will be presented and I will also present the assignment instructions and rubric I use for student podcast responses. In addition, I will share how students can use open access software to create their own podcasts. This is a project students complete in my Crime and the Media course.  I will discuss the key benefits of using podcasts, share student feedback, present example student responses to podcasts, and present a portion of a student-produced podcast.  
3:00-3:20 pm EST  Closing Sara Parme & Heather Tompkins, ACA  To wrap up the day, we’ll reflect on key takeaways from our sessions, discussing actionable steps for integrating OER/OAR into our own courses and institutions. This will be an opportunity to share insights, ask lingering questions, and consider future collaborations. We’ll also highlight available support networks and resources to help attendees continue their journey in utilizing open and affordable learning materials.  

 

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