Spring boarding from a grant-based opportunity, the session discusses the successes and challenges of developing a Master's level Open Education Resource (OER) using Google Apps for Education. The overall discussion stems from overall planning, literature review, and the proper tools to utilize when collaborating with graduate students domestically and internationally to develop a cohesive tool for a course called Instructional Media Design as a part of our Master of Instructional Technology program.
In the summer of 2016, I was awarded a grant through my institution to develop an Open Education Resource(s) that would be curated within my institution, but could also be made accessible for other learners through Creative Commons licensure. My goal was to redesign a course that I was taking over and it had been communicated to me by colleagues that this course needed major renovations concerning alignment with the standards, as well as updated course materials. I decided to use a portion of my grant to employ two online graduate students (one domestic and one international) to help me align the curriculum with the current standards, conduct research, provide input on design and thus, collaborate in the development of the course modules. When discussing the task, it seems rather straightforward; however, the real work began as I had to make decisions on the tools for collaboration, considerations to be made when working with graduate students, as well as overall goals for the course regarding design, access and materials. As a side note, two other professors on my campus were awarded the same grant and we formed a professional learning community through the process. This is where I was able to gain insight and guidance, as well as from our university's OER librarian. One of the major differences in this process was working with students in the process. This idea, in and of itself, presented a twist in the development process, including the integration of international perspectives and immediate student feedback. For any person thinking of co-developing an OER and utilizing graduate students, I would love to share!