In this interactive session, world language educators and department chairs will talk about how they successfully created and employed innovative OERs in their online classes. They will focus on the benefits of how these materials can be used to increase student collaboration and communication skills. They will also address the challenges of creating OER materials that engage students, and they will provide practical tips on finding good materials, using OERs to build a more collaborative faculty environment, and customizing classes that boost student problem-solving and creativity. Further conversation will be dedicated to the ways in which OERs have impacted student retention and success rates in the session leaders' institutions, as well as the lessons participants can draw from those experiences.
Building on this foundation, the presenters will then spend considerable time on employing OERs in the online classroom. Presenters will demonstrate how OERs are more malleable than their traditional and web-based textbook counterparts and the possibilities this flexibility creates for the instructor. They will share how they have applied this flexible characteristic of OERs to produce more collaborative world language and communication courses. Challenges, particularly in programs with a high number of adjunct faculty, will be addressed and successful solutions will be discussed.
The program will end with an additional period of time for participants to ask specific questions they might have beyond what has been covered. Throughout this interactive presentation, participants will be encouraged to engage and ask questions. Handouts with OER world language contact information will be provided in the hope that this information can be shared with colleagues after the conference.
