Senior Leaders’ Open Education Seminar
A first-of-its-kind opportunity for higher education institutional and system leaders to learn about Open Education and how they can support the implementation of Open Education on their campuses.
On December 4, senior leaders from across the MHEC region will gather at the University of Minnesota for a day-long seminar focused on sustainably supporting open education. Led by experts from the Open Textbook Network (OTN), the aim is to increase understanding of this quickly growing area in higher education, support institutional transformation, and sustain growth of open education programs. This seminar aligns with MHEC’s focus on convening and access to senior leaders across their member states, and leverages the OTN’s expertise in building Open Education programs.
In order for Open Education initiatives to last, they must be sustainable, multi-layered, and enjoy not only grassroots but also administrative support. While many Open Education initiatives have begun as projects and pilots, the case for developing lasting, integrated institutional, consortial, and state-wide programs is starting to be made. This seminar will focus on giving decision-makers an overview of Open Education, why it matters and to whom, and ways they can support and sustain its growth. Participants will be senior leaders at institutions and systems who want to learn and explore this opportunity in higher education.
“The Seminar is an opportunity for higher education decision-makers to see how Open Education can help make education more inclusive, increase retention, and improve affordability.” said David Ernst, Executive Director of the Open Textbook Network. “We’ve trained over 5,000 faculty, librarians, and staff nationally, and we’re excited to share our expertise with institutional leaders who have the power to make programmatic changes at their institution.”
“In 2018 we brought together Open Education Resources (OER) champions from all 12 MHEC states so they could learn from and inspire each other’s work at a grass-roots level,” explained Susan Heegaard, MHEC president. “Their work has resulted in significant increases in the use of OER across the region, which has saved millions of dollars for Midwestern students and their families. Now in 2019 the time is right to convene institutional and system leaders from those same states so they can learn how to support these efforts and implement OER systematically. We are excited about the quality and the speed with which OER work in the MHEC states is unfolding.”
This exciting, invitation-only event will be hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Executive Vice President and Provost and MHEC Commissioner Karen Hanson.
About the Open Textbook Network
The Open Textbook Network is an alliance of higher education institutions that advance open education by empowering our members to take collective responsibility for course content through proven practices, verifiable results, and community support. The Network supports more than 110 members who represent more than 1100 campuses nationwide.
About the Midwestern Higher Education Compact
MHEC is a 12-state, legislatively created compact with a mission to serve higher education across the Midwest. Collectively MHEC creates solutions that build higher education’s capacity to better serve individuals, institutions, and states by leveraging the region’s resources, expertise, ideas, and experiences through multi-state convenings, programs, research, and contracts.