Mt. Hood Comm. College

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News Release

MHCC Celebrates Open Education Week, March 4 -- 8 (Photo) - 03/04/19

Events throughout the week will highlight Open Educational Resources and the benefits to students and faculty.

Join Mt. Hood Community College in celebrating Open Education Week, a global celebration of open education resources, tools and practices and how they improve educational access and effectiveness worldwide. Open Educational Resources, or OERs, refer to teaching, learning and research materials that are freely accessible and open to all. OER materials exist in the public domain, meaning there’s no cost associated with accessing, using, adapting, and redistributing them by others.

For students, that often means there’s no cost – or a minimal cost – associated with acquiring OERs for their classes. That’s often a welcome relief considering the price of the average college textbook has risen more than 180 percent from 1998 – 2018, according to data from the American Enterprise Institute and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2018, the nonprofit College Board reported that two-year students pay approximately $1,440 per year in books and supplies.

“Each year, our textbooks get more expensive,” described Bob Hansen, president of the college’s Associated Student Government (ASG). Hansen estimates that he spends about $1,000 per year on textbooks for his Business and Entrepreneurship classes. “The saddest part is that students just know that they need to pay it and there’s usually no other options.”

For faculty, OERs offer the advantage of flexibility, ensuring that they adhere to the course curriculum and not that the course curriculum adheres to the textbook content.

“Developing OER content gave us the freedom to create a math book unlike anything that is currently available, commercially or otherwise,” said Jack Green, Mathematics instructor at MHCC. Green and MHCC Mathematics instructor Nick Chura produced an open educational resource for Math III: Pre-calculus. This interactive, activity-based math book is available entirely online at https://mhcc.edu/precalc1/colophon-1.html

MHCC will host Open Education events throughout the week of March 4 – 8. On Tuesday, March 5, an Open Education Celebration will occur in the Student Union from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Attendees can learn about OER projects and resources at the college, play OER-themed games, and get photos in the photo booth. Keynote speaker Amy Hofer, coordinator of Statewide Open Education Library Services for the Community for Open Oregon Educational Resources, will speak from 1 – 2 p.m.

On Thursday, March 7, from Noon – 1 p.m., the ASG will hold a student panel and reception for faculty, staff and students in the Teaching and Learning Center (AC2553) on campus. Both these events are open to the public.

Attached Media Files: Open Education Week logo, Jack Green teaching a Math class using the OER he created with instructor Nick Chura.,

MHCC Celebrates Open Education Week, March 4 -- 8 (Photo) - 03/04/19

Events throughout the week will highlight Open Educational Resources and the benefits to students and faculty.

Join Mt. Hood Community College in celebrating Open Education Week, a global celebration of open education resources, tools and practices and how they improve educational access and effectiveness worldwide. Open Educational Resources, or OERs, refer to teaching, learning and research materials that are freely accessible and open to all. OER materials exist in the public domain, meaning there’s no cost associated with accessing, using, adapting, and redistributing them by others.

For students, that often means there’s no cost – or a minimal cost – associated with acquiring OERs for their classes. That’s often a welcome relief considering the price of the average college textbook has risen more than 180 percent from 1998 – 2018, according to data from the American Enterprise Institute and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2018, the nonprofit College Board reported that two-year students pay approximately $1,440 per year in books and supplies.

“Each year, our textbooks get more expensive,” described Bob Hansen, president of the college’s Associated Student Government (ASG). Hansen estimates that he spends about $1,000 per year on textbooks for his Business and Entrepreneurship classes. “The saddest part is that students just know that they need to pay it and there’s usually no other options.”

For faculty, OERs offer the advantage of flexibility, ensuring that they adhere to the course curriculum and not that the course curriculum adheres to the textbook content.

“Developing OER content gave us the freedom to create a math book unlike anything that is currently available, commercially or otherwise,” said Jack Green, Mathematics instructor at MHCC. Green and MHCC Mathematics instructor Nick Chura produced an open educational resource for Math III: Pre-calculus. This interactive, activity-based math book is available entirely online at https://mhcc.edu/precalc1/colophon-1.html

MHCC will host Open Education events throughout the week of March 4 – 8. On Tuesday, March 5, an Open Education Celebration will occur in the Student Union from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Attendees can learn about OER projects and resources at the college, play OER-themed games, and get photos in the photo booth. Keynote speaker Amy Hofer, coordinator of Statewide Open Education Library Services for the Community for Open Oregon Educational Resources, will speak from 1 – 2 p.m.

On Thursday, March 7, from Noon – 1 p.m., the ASG will hold a student panel and reception for faculty, staff and students in the Teaching and Learning Center (AC2553) on campus. Both these events are open to the public.

Attached Media Files: Open Education Week logo, Jack Green teaching a Math class using the OER he created with instructor Nick Chura.,