Six Faculty Selected for Paid Course Conversion Program and Workshop

Graphic Design by Ariel Romero

Six University of Arkansas faculty have been selected to participate in programs designed by the University Libraries and Global Campus to reduce student costs and allow for enhanced innovation in teaching. Selected applicants include Micaela Baranello, Patrick Hagerman, Stephanie Hubert, Linda Jones, Jacquelyn Mosley and Manuel Rossetti. 

The Open Educational Resources (OER) Course Materials Conversion Program was developed in 2017 to increase the use of OER on the U of A campus. The program provides compensation for selected U of A faculty to replace existing course materials with adopted, adapted or created OER. This semester, three faculty have been selected to receive compensation for creating OER. 

Linda Jones, associate professor of World Languages, will create a textbook for WLLC 4013 Native Languages and Cultures, a required course for the Indigenous Studies minor and an elective course for language majors. The book will focus on regional perspectives using an interdisciplinary approach. 

"This highly impactful text will provide rich reading and interaction through pertinent questions and activities and with timely audio-visual information," said Jones. "So much is wrapped up in the history of Native American languages, and this OER text will be a highly useful resource for this course and beyond."  

Patrick Hagerman, lecturer for Health, Human Performance, and Recreation, will write an openly licensed textbook for the courses EXSC 4773 and EXSC 4773H: Performance and Drugs. Textbooks in this field quickly become dated. Hagerman's goal is to create a single text that is easy to update that will replace the current required textbook and selections from three optional textbooks. Performance and Drugs is a required course for Exercise Science majors, serving around 75 students each semester.   

Manuel D. Rossetti, university professor for Industrial Engineering and director of the Data Science Program, will create an updated third edition of a textbook he authored, Simulation Modeling and Arena (2015), for the course INEG 3623: Simulation. Rossetti will publish the new textbook as an openly licensed resource, free to all students and available online. Simulation is a required course for Industrial Engineering majors.  

The Affordable/OER Course Redesign Workshop funding allows faculty to work "sprint-style" in a small group setting. The workshop encourages the enhancement and redesign of course content, instructional approaches and the adoption of open or affordable resources. Learning modules include OER basics, course design, inclusive design principles and open pedagogy. Participants will review an open textbook, complete online learning modules and participate in weekly cohort discussions. They will also adopt affordable or openly licensed resources and create open ancillaries for their course. 

Jacquelyn Mosley, associate professor for Human Development and Family Sciences, will explore open resources to adopt for the newly launched course HDFS 2493: Introduction to Cultural Competence - an elective that meets the diversity and cultural competence requirement in the general education curriculum.  

Micaela Baranello, assistant professor of Musicology, will adopt the open textbook Resonances:  Engaging Music in Its Cultural Context and redesign the course MLIT 1003H: Experiencing Music to focus on a thematic approach. She will also explore other open and free resources to use in the course. She believes that participation in the workshop will help her move toward departmental curricular goals and provide students with an affordable textbook option.

Stephanie Hubert, instructor for Human Environmental Sciences, will explore revising her course design and implement an open resource for AMPD 3003: Apparel Production. Her adoption and creation of new learning resources will significantly reduce the cost of the project-based course.   

"Now more than ever, students need access to affordable course materials," said Elaine Thornton, open education and distance learning librarian. "The U of A faculty is stepping up to expand OER across the curriculum. We hope to see this trend continue."     

Applicants were selected by the OER Team and the OER Campus Advisory Group. The OER Team includes Carolyn Henderson Allen, Miran Kang, Lora Lennertz, Stephanie Pierce, Elaine Thornton and Scott Wright. Current OER Campus Advisory Group members include Margaret Butcher, Jim Gigantino, Avery Hasten, Julia Kennefick, Grace Kerr, Mo Leghari, Guillermo Pupo Pernet, Mary Thompson Price and Heidi Scher.