In many ways, the last few years have brought great attention to the role of the woman in our society, especially in the workplace. The debate surging around wage equity in many countries can be traced back to the type and quality of learning experiences available to women. In short, the more we can do to ensure that women of all ages and all interests have access to affordable, high-quality, career-directed education, the better. Open education can play a key role in accomplishing this task.
Open education touches everyone, especially when it enables high-quality learning opportunities that shape people's lives. Through our work with non-profits, woman-centered community organizations, and open online learning opportunities, we've had many opportunities to hear and be touched by women's stories: stories about how open education has played a role in their own transformations, from personal to professional.
In this session, the presenters will share stories of women greatly affected by the availability of open education. Key themes of accessibility, cost, and impact will be highlighted. And moments of thankfulness and (hopefully!) inspiration will be given breath in our open education discussion.
As Director of Platform & Partnerships Marketing at Instructure, Katie’s role is to guide innovation and open education initiatives at Instructure. She works across multiple teams to implement new processes and ideological shifts, marketing initiatives, and product changes that... Read More →
As those who know me will tell you, I am passionate about using technology to do more than just provide alternatives to traditional teaching and learning practices. I sincerely hope that educational technology can lead the revolution for changing, and truly significantly impacting... Read More →
Friday October 13, 2017 2:00pm - 2:25pm PDT
Valencia
What happens when colleagues share with one another, even across academic disciplines? This presentation will tell the story of an open education practice that has spanned three instructors, two disciplines, and multiple college departments.
In May of 1969 students in the Obi Society, the first advocacy organization for students of color at Tacoma Community College, published a list of 11 demands related to equity and diversity. As part of their campaign to bring equity to the institution, the Obi Society would stand on a rock in the campus commons to give speeches in support of their mission. In Summer of 2014 a part-time teacher happened upon this story while talking with the college archivist. That conversation spurred the What Would You Stand on a Rock For? assignment.
In the three years since the first person wrote the first lines attempting to build this open pedagogy project, it has been revised, remixed, and adopted by three instructors in two different disciplines. Not only that, the project has spurred a campus-wide discussion about honoring the efforts of the Obi Society.
Through the power of sharing, two part-time faculty members leveraged the support of the college archives, marketing, Media Services, and Vice President's office to build an open education practice that helped build awareness about the Civil Rights Movement at our community college, opened a larger discussion about the history of equity at our institution, and inspired students to demand commemoration of an important moment in the growth and development of our urban campus. We will discuss how this early attempt at open pedagogy grew into a larger expression of student voice that invites the whole campus community to show gratitude for the efforts of TCC's first Black Student Union, the Obi Society.
