Open pedagogy asks us to think radically about access to and creation of knowledge in our classrooms and beyond in a wider social justice context. When I use resources centered on student experiences, it also heightens student access to academic concepts, engages students in notions about what constitutes knowledge, and transforms our academic institutions to places for building communities for social justice.
Our students have so much going on in their lives, and college can feel very overwhelming. By choosing to use open educational resources, I am making access to class materials more equitable and simplifying the learning experience for my students.
This past spring, BMCC wrapped up Open Teaching Week with an interactive tabling event disguised as a cupcake celebration. After learning throughout the week about how BMCC faculty practice open pedagogy and engage with open educational resources (OER), CETLS and BMCC librarians teamed up to ask students in the BMCC community, “how do you learn best?”
Before I entered the OER/ZTC world, I taught macroeconomic theory with a really good textbook that was really expensive. OER has been a win-win change in my teaching practices…and I am happy to help anyone else give it a try!
