International Journal of Open Educational Resources Volume 2, Issue 1, Fall 2019/Winter 2020 | Page 50

International Journal of Open Educational Resources
applications to only instructors teaching
at our European study centers, as
these students faced the bulk of the
textbook challenges. Our partners at
IP were immediately enthusiastic about
the proposal and committed to providing
$10,000 for 10 $1,000 grants. Once
the requirements and workflow were
negotiated with IP and the study center
administrators, we drafted an email introducing
the new grant program, outlining
the open textbook movement,
and offering guidance on the application
process and requirements. Furthermore,
the OER team had previously
employed a targeted outreach approach
to high-enrollment on campus courses,
proactively emailing all instructors
with recommendations for high-quality
open textbook options to replace
their current traditional course material
model. Since many of the courses
offered at the European study centers
overlapped with the high enrollment
courses on main campus (as core courses
and general liberal arts), we were
able to adapt our outreach to the local
and on-campus instructors teaching
abroad, sending textbook substitution
suggestions via email individually to instructors
as well as a reminder to apply
for our new IP ATG program.
As a site visit funded by the annual
travel funds designated in the IP
MOU had been planned for Spring
2018 to campuses in Florence, Valencia,
and London, library staff were able to
center faculty presentations and meetings
around the new IP mini-grant
program, providing ample opportunity
for broader OER discussions and impromptu
consultations with instructors
on locating open or affordable options
to replace their commercial textbook
options. These promotion strategies
were imperative for not only introducing
the program, but also engaging in
a dialogue with instructors about using
OER and providing a space to hear feedback
and address concerns. As many of
the instructors abroad were brand new
to the open landscape, the face-to-face
discussions were key to meaningful
outreach strategy.
Launching OER Abroad
The situation at international
campuses necessitated the need
for distance library services staff
to adopt OER advocacy as part of their
role. However, there are several factors
that shaped a good fit for the initiative
beyond the ongoing textbook challenges.
The First Semester Abroad/First
Year Abroad, broad curriculum program
provided a plethora of high-quality
general textbook options available
to instructors; almost every course had
a title available from OpenStax or the
Open Textbook Network. The high cost
of studying abroad lends itself to other
cost-saving measures, in order to offset
some of the costs of global learning.
Yet, it is within the role of librarians, as
liaisons and as advocates, to identify
these connections and mindfully align
cross-campus department goals.
IP aims to provide a seamless
educational experience abroad in order
to cultivate students to become intercultural
and global citizens. IP faculty
members often speak of taking learning
out of the classroom, taking instruction
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