Lesson 1: Open Educational Resources and Public Domain

"Untitled Photo" (Links to an external site.) by Alvaro Serrano via Unsplash is licensed under the Unsplash license (Links to an external site.).

Open Educational Resources, or OER, are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open intellectual property license that permits their free use and revision by others. OER are meant to be shared and adapted to fit the needs of different teaching contexts and communities. They are meant to be used freely, with open access and at no cost.

When openly licensed, types of Open Educational Resources can include:

• full courses
• course materials
• modules
• educational games
• "open" textbooks
• videos
• tests
• software
• learning tools
• materials
• techniques used to support access to knowledge

Open resources, on the other hand, can be reused and revised without explicit permission from their creator. That is because they may have either open copyrights, or no copyrights at all. If an open resource has an open copyright, you must credit, or attribute, the creator whenever you revise, reuse, or redistribute that resource. You will learn more about types of open copyright in the Creative Commons section.

If an open resource has no copyrights at all, it is considered to be in the public domain. The public domain means that a work or resource can be used by anyone, at any time, with no credit or attribution to the creator. The copyright is waived, meaning the creator no longer owns the work, either because the copyright expired, or the creator wanted it to be open and free to the public.

OER can be either open copyright, or public domain. Be sure to thoroughly check every resource you use to be sure it is in fact an OER, and if it is public domain or has an open copyright. If it is public domain, you are free to use and adapt it as you wish, with no attribution to the creator. If it has an open copyright, it can be used and adapted, but must be attributed to the creator. 

A good way to find OER is through the OER Commons (Links to an external site.). The Commons offers many kinds of OER, some of which are open copyright, and some that are in the public domain. You can search for resources based on their openness, or “Conditions of Use.”

"What is the difference between public domain and open license?" by Boyoung Chae, Ph.D., Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges is licensed under CC BY 4.0 (Links to an external site.).

This graphic shows the differences between public domain and openly licensed resources, highlighting that:

• Copyright, or intellectual property ownership of the resource is waived in public domain. The author has given away their rights to the work.
• Copyright, or intellectual property ownership of the resource remains in an open license. The author hasn't given away their rights to the work, but they do allow more rights to revise and reuse their intellectual property.

Lesson 4a: Types of Plagiarism

 

In order to avoid plagiarizing, it is best to fully understand the different ways in which plagiarism can occur.

Direct Plagiarism

Direct plagiarism occurs when a student copies sentences or paragraphs that someone else wrote and uses them without quotation marks or without citing the source. Directly plagiarizing could mean copying and pasting from an article on the internet, from a book or magazine, or even from a friend or classmate.

Mosaic Plagiarism

Mosaic plagiarism is also sometimes called “patch-work plagiarism”. It occurs when a student borrows phrases from a source or pieces together information from different sources without using quotation marks. It also occurs when a student finds synonyms for the author’s language but keeps the same general structure and meaning of the original.

Self-Plagiarism

This may sound strange, but it is also possible to plagiarize yourself. If you submit a paper that you wrote for another class, you are committing self-plagiarism. To avoid this, just make sure that you always write original work for your assignments, and that you don’t recycle previous work that you’ve already written.

Accidental Plagiarism

Many instances of plagiarism are those in which the student does not mean to do anything dishonest. If you do not keep track of the resources you use while researching, you might forget to cite those references when you write your paper. While this may be an accident, it is still plagiarism, and you could still face strict consequences for forgetting to cite sources.

"Untitled Photo (Links to an external site.)" by Aaron Burden via unsplash (Links to an external site.) is licensed under the Unsplash license

Lesson 2: Diversity & Inclusion in the Classroom

 

Introduction 

In classrooms around the world, it is common to find students of different races or ethnic identities, genders, religions, and cultures learning together. A diverse and inclusive classroom encourages sharing, listening, and understanding so that all identities can feel accepted and included.

With a few exceptions, you will find teachers from all around the world in your OPEN course. Learning from your peers’ diverse perspectives and experiences is one of the strongest benefits of an OPEN global online course.

To further understand the key concepts of diversity and inclusion in education, take a look at the definitions below. 

What is Diversity?

Diversity is the inclusion of different identities in a group. Every person has many unique characteristics based on identities such as race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic status, physical or intellectual ability, religion, political beliefs, and much more. Classrooms that explore and respect diversity are more positive and enriching learning environments for all students.

What is Discrimination?

Unfortunately, people are often treated differently because of their identities. Discrimination, or the practice of treating a person or group differently, can occur among peers and teachers in the classroom. Class assignments or teaching practices can also be discriminatory if they view or treat a specific group negatively. As educators, it is our job to build respect and understanding among peers. We should also evaluate our teaching practices and materials to make sure that they are respectful and accepting of all students.

What is Equity?

Equity is the process of giving each individual what they need to be successful. Equality is when every individual is treated the same. In a classroom that focuses on equality, students might all be treated the same, but each student may not receive the specific resources and support they need to succeed academically. 

In a classroom that demonstrates equity, however, each student gets the specific resources and support they need to succeed academically. This is sometimes referred to as differentiated instruction. This might mean that each student receives help in different ways in order to reach a common goal. Just like in the graphic below, where each person gets a specific stool to help them see over the fence, each student in an inclusive classroom receives instructional support that meets their specific needs, so that everyone can learn together.  

What is an Inclusive Classroom?

Inclusive classrooms are learning environments where all students learn together, regardless of their backgrounds or abilities. Inclusive classrooms respect learners’ diversity and demonstrate equity. 

Teaching methods and materials must be accessible so that all students are included. Accessible materials might look different for each student - for example, a student learning virtually might not have the internet connectivity to watch a long recorded video. To make this video accessible, instructors could include a downloadable script of the video that students can read offline. Instructors could also use closed captions so that learners who are deaf or hard of hearing can watch the video while reading the words spoken at the bottom of the screen. Allowing accommodations, small changes made to the way that an assignment is shared by the teacher or completed by the student, helps to create an equitable learning environment for all students!

 

Another form of Accommodation is Assistive technology (AT), this includes any items, tools or services that help make resources equally accessible for all, regardless of differing abilities. This term was defined by the U.S. Disabilities Act of 1988, as "any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether  acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (P.L. 100-407).Current trends in Universal Design are working to make these types of technologies available and accessible by default.  An example of where such assistive technology can be helpful for everyone is screen readers.

     

Diversity and Inclusion in the OPEN Program

The OPEN Program strives to create an inclusive and accessible learning environment for all participants. As a participant of this program, you will have the chance to learn from your classmates’ diverse perspectives, which will help make you a better educator. Studies have shown that students in diverse and inclusive classrooms have stronger problem solving and critical thinking skills, a more positive self-image, and greater respect for others. They are also more prepared to enter the workforce and contribute to their communities. As an educator, we hope this experience helps you create a classroom environment where all students feel valued, respected, and engaged in the process of learning!

 

(Source: from an OPEN's course)