As part of our commitment to provide accessible resources and services, we promote the practice of open education and the development of open educational resources (OER) with the goals of widening access to participation in education and lifelong learning across borders and organizations, and eliminating barriers related to cost, geography, accessibility, and technology. We seek to apply the principles of openness, collaboration and sharing to our own work and invite the Centennial community to share in the creation of an open teaching and learning community.
Please check out the library’s website to get started with some tips and sources for Open Education Resources you can use in your daily teaching.
Open Educational Resources (OER) Lab
Our Lab is staffed by Centennial co-op students who provide technical and design expertise to OER projects, freeing up time for faculty and staff to focus more on research and content development as the subject-matter and pedagogical experts. The purpose of the OER Lab is to provide valuable experiential learning opportunities to our students, while also supporting and advocating for the use of OERs across Centennial College.
We believe that the use of OERs is the first step in enhancing the "openness" of our classrooms, where students can become co-creators of knowledge, not just consumers of it. Additionally, OERs support access to education by lowering educational materials’ costs and increase the opportunity for bringing in varied perspectives and enriching learning experiences.
The Lab is managed by CFDTI Faculty (OER Lab Lead). In collaboration with the Libraries and Learning Centre, we support OER Lab students and Centennial staff in ensuring project requirements are met.
What We Offer
The OER Lab offers a wide range of services to support Centennial staff in developing their OERs. We walk you through every step of the production process whether you are creating, adapting* or remixing** an OER. The only requirement is that you share your resource under an open licence so others can benefit!
Full Production Services
We support and guide you through the process of creating an OER with our full production services. These services include:
- lead the production of a new, adapted and/or remixed OER on a variety of platforms (e.g. Pressbooks, websites)
- support in implementing renewable assessments
- multimedia sourcing, creation and video editing
- wrap around technical support for project-related tools
- design and styling recommendations
- supplemental and ancillary resource creation (e.g., slide shows, question/exam banks, interactive elements with H5P)
- ensure or enhance the accessibility of an OER
- publish a new or adapted OER to an open forum (e.g. eCampus Open Library)
- workshops on OER-related topics such as Pressbooks and Creative Commons Licences
- connect teams with other post-secondary institutions to explore opportunities for cross-collaboration
- sustainability planning
*adapt: includes, but is not limited to, updating the existing OER with current information, adding relevant examples (e.g. Canadian examples), adding media and/or interactive elements, adding practice questions, addressing diversity needs, enhancing accessibility, creating question banks, etc.
**remix: combine sections of multiple OERs to make a customized resource
Learning Asset Production Services
The OER Lab also offers services to develop digital learning assets that you'd like to share such as:
- custom images
- lesson plan, assessment, rubric
- video
- H5P activity
- course handouts or other materials
- and more!
There is very little preparation required to access these services. Once you have a good idea of what you'd like, submit a request to work with us today!
Work With Us
Whether you are a staff member who would like to access our services or a student who would like to work in the Lab, email CFDTI@centennialcollege.ca to be connected to our OER Lab Lead. We look forward to working with you!
Testimonials
"Working with the OER lab has been an amazing experience. The level of collaboration enhanced the content of my courses. The OER team was able to brainstorm and provide multiple options for how to approach each challenge we encountered. They even helped source resources and format options for activities that I wanted to convert, but did not have an exact plan in mind. Amazing use of my time, to improve my students experience."
– Biotech Professor
"The OER Lab was so knowledgeable and helpful in so many ways. Their ongoing insight, feedback, solutions, suggestions and support made it so easy to complete the project."
– Denise Halsey, Denise Halsey, CCAC CCS-AC, (she/her/hers pronouns), P/T Professor & Field Placement Supervisor (AMHW) Coordinator, Addictions Work: Professional Practice Skills Certificate, School of Community and Health Sciences
"I loved working with the OER team on my demonstration videos. I miss our meetings! The team members were upbeat and supportive throughout the process. They offered fabulous suggestions, shared their expertise and graciously accepted feedback. I highly recommend the OER Lab to anyone who wants to create their own open source content."
– Lisa Binnie, Fine Arts Studio
"The OER lab helped me take an idea and provided me with the structure, forms, and publishing skills I needed. Together we turned a collaborative student project into a resource that can be used more broadly and that students can be proud of!"
– Linor David, Professor, Community Development
Working with the OER Lab was a creative and collaborative learning experience. OER Lab members were knowledgeable, responsive, and professional. I am so glad that Centennial has the OER Lab, and I hope to have the opportunity to work with the team again. The work of the OER Lab aligns well with the college's transformation focus on digital technology and adapting quickly to the marketplace and individual students' needs. The OER Lab is a wonderful place for students, staff, and faculty to work together on projects that showcase Centennial as a unique place to learn.
– Lillian Mak