Abbey K. Elder

OER Communities of Practice The Iowa OER Communities of Practice (CoPs) program supports instructors across the state who want to connect with peers over a shared interest in open educational resources (OER). Participants in …

Have you heard? We've just opened the call for participants for our annual OER Communities of Practice! Apply now through Sept 12 to participate! Instructors in the fields of Psychology, Teacher Education, and Agriculture/Environmental Science are encouraged to apply.
iowaoer.com/oer-communit...

Formal Logic and Mathematical Reasoning, both for the same reason: as someone who stopped connecting with math in high school, I was dreading doing more of it in college. But approaching math as problem-solving and puzzles rather than memorized formulae made the how/what/why of math stick for me

A photo of Melanie Lenahan with a quote. It says: "What I found was really impactful were the open conversations. It was really important giving our participants time to talk about things and talk out loud about different strategies and barriers. I think Drew (co-facilitator) really helped in facilitating a structure that allowed for a lot of conversations."

This is Dr. Melanie Lenahan. She is a biology professor.

She organized a #RIOSLearningCommunity (with Dr. Drew Lewis) that explored alternative grading practices. This is what she said about it. #LetsLearnTogether

This webinar was a great time! For those who missed it, the recording, slides, and some of the awesome materials shared during the meeting will be up on the opened.org website soon! #oer

These findings hold significant implications for policy and practice and as post-secondary institutions strive to widen equitable access and better support both pedagogical innovation and student success, the adoption and expansion of ZTC initiatives should be considered a strategic priority.

The Multi-Year Impact of Canada’s First Zero Textbook Cost Initiative | Open Praxis

I am excited to share my latest publication, co-authored with Oya Pakkal and Xiaoyang Xia, on the multi-year impact of Canada's first Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) degree programs, at my former institution Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

#OER #OpenEducation #OEP #ZTC

openpraxis.org/articles/10....

I've been quiet here lately, but know that the work doesn't stop just because the posting pauses. I hope you all are doing well and working toward the future you care to create, whether you can share it or not!

Live from our workshop🔵

Learning more about the aims and ethos of the @openbookcollective.bsky.social with @kirahopkins.bsky.social and @kjsanders.bsky.social 👇

#OpenScience #OpenAccess #DiamondOA #ScholComm

archivists: we have no help maintaining the overwhelming pile of digital projects that were funded by one-time grants and have extensive recurring resource costs, this is a huge problem for literally every discipline

venture capitalists: would you like a sexy robot Amelia Bedelia that doesn't work

New publication: Farrow, R. (2025). Cosmopolitics and The Commons. Education Ouverte Et Libre - Open Education, (3). doi.org/10.52612/jou...

This paper explore the social and political commitments of open education, arguing for a cosmopolitical relignment of the project of open education.

I have a new favorite definition of open education, and that's just the first sentence! This is going to be one to read thoroughly. Thanks for continuing to add thoughtful literature to the field, Rob!

Next year, we're considering opening up the program to more folks, though because of the way our funding works, we can only pay Iowa faculty for participating. If you know folks who'd like to participate for free, let me know!

For this year's cohort, the Iowa OER team led three disciplinary groups for Math, Nursing, & Business. As the facilitator for the Nursing group, I am biased about how well it went, but if you want to learn more about the outcomes of the program, check out our latest blog post on www.iowaoer.com!

New Publication!!
Kristin Briney, @iandpangurban.bsky.social and I wrote a chapter on Data Governance for the Open Science Cookbook!
📚

"The Library Is Not Enough: Building the Data Governance Community at Your Institution"

Open EBook: www.ala.org/sites/defaul...

Just tested this out and it's got lots of useful content in it 🔥 A great primer for any authors out there wanting to explore how and why OA for their books (or articles) might be a good option.

I’ve noticed an uptick in dismissals of the concerns of teachers about AI. Some say that it’s *their* job to find a way to evaluate work that AI can’t replicate. I would just ask that you talk to real teachers and really listen. I’d also suggest reading a bit about writing and the brain.

Copim and acquisitions librarians present… Beyond buying books: Rethinking content acquisition in unstable times Wed 25th June 2pm https://nag.org.uk/event/rethinking/ Graphic of a pile of precariously balanced rocks in NAG and Copim colours.

Copim and acquisitions librarians present… Beyond buying books: Rethinking content acquisition in unstable times
Wed 25th June 2pm
Free and open to everyone; recording available OA after event.
nag.org.uk/event/rethin...
@copim.bsky.social

a golden retriever puppy on a bright pink rope leash prances through some tall grass. he’s wearing a brightly patterned bandana around his neck and is carrying a miniature six-stripe pride flag in his mouth. his front right paw is raised mid-stride, like he’s ready to hop into a pride parade at any second.

This is Bodie. He’s here to celebrate the start of Pride Month. Been working on this pose for weeks. 14/10 the parade starts right behind him 🌈🐾 (IG: hellobodie)

New blog post! graphic over a fun science-themed background.

New blog post! Learn about the amazing work behind openscied.org, a free, high-quality #OER science curriculum with the support of educators across Iowa & beyond. OpenSciEd is an excellent example of what educators can do when they're given the tools & time to succeed.
iowaoer.com/2025/05/28/m...

*Save the date: Reclaim Open 2025*
🗓️ November 3-7
🌐 Online, on radio and on a blog near you
✏️ Make a submission
🎟️ Get your ticket
💬 Get ready to comment, discuss and share
events.reclaimhosting.com/event/save-t...
[https://events.reclaimhosting.com/event/save-the-date-reclaim-open-2025/]

JOIN US! Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity on Preprints and Open Peer Review. Multi-year project. Come with work @nataschachtena.bsky.social, @mariomalicki.bsky.social, me, and the rest of #ScholCommLab. Apply by May 23rd!

bit.ly/SCLpostdoc2025

Please share widely!

Join us at the Library Publishing Forum 2025. ZOE WAKE HYDE, Open Monograph Press (OMP) Coordinator will present Wednesday, May 7, 12 -1 PM ET in an Individual Session called A Global View on the Evolution of Open Book Publishing. Continue the conversation with Zoe! Email zwhyde@sfu.ca and connect with Zoe on Mastodon @zwhnz@hcommons.social or Bluesky @radishpress. The hashtag for the event is #LPF25.

Are you attending the Library Publishing Forum this week?

We'll be there, too! ZOE WAKE HYDE, PKP #OpenMonographPress (OMP) Coordinator, will present Wednesday, May 7, 12 -1 PM ET, on "A Global View on the Evolution of Open Book Publishing".

Hope to meet you there! librarypublishing.org/program/

Financial Knowledge and Basic Needs Insecurity Among Undergraduate Students Can increasing financial knowledge among college students reduce basic needs insecurity? Explore our findings from nationally representative data.

“Rather than focusing on financial education on the ‘Big Three,’ this study suggests improving financial well-being by helping students access public benefits and other material supports.”

educationnorthwest.org/publications...

A colorful poster with the text "new blog post!" in all caps.

Our latest blog contribution comes from Northeast Iowa Community College's Shannon Brenner, who shares her instructional design team's experience aligning #OER to courses through Course Blueprints!
#InstructionalDesign #CourseAlignment
iowaoer.com/2025/04/29/a...

I love that! If you're focusing on expanding beyond one "unicorn" as the failure point, maybe something more like... "From a unicorn to a herd"?
Or you could get more across through a subtitle & keep "Caring for your unicorns" as the title?
I hope you write something up about this, regardless!

Woot woot! 👏 We’re applauding participants in the OEN Certificate in Open Pedagogy who recently presented action plans to make curriculum more inclusive & empowering. Job well done to the 2025 cohort & our amazing instructors!

Need open ped inspiration? Don't miss OEN’s April blog: z.umn.edu/aexh

YouTube video by Pressbooks OER Under the Hood: A Student ePortfolio Experience

Recording available here from March for those who cannot access the link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K_r...

In my opinion, onionising OA is crucial for antifascist/feminist (etc.) purposes: moananddrone.github.io/bag-of-onions 2018 to now, and we have not sufficient uptake. Now's the time! Safety & censorship are pragmatic ratioanles, but care is at the centre. @thoth-metadata.bsky.social @simonxix.com

I'm a sucker for an extended metaphor, so the themed headings made this a fun read to start the morning with—and an engaging way to learn more about how onion services work! Thanks for sharing

Ruth: Matthew, you asked what concern is at the front of my mind, and the problem is all of them. The harms of generative AI are intersected with so many elements of society. I guess, the more urgent concerns are the ones with the longest, continuous harm such as sustainability, which you mentioned, decrease of human interactions, and the power we are giving to these technology companies for a half-created product without any regulations in the interest of “Innovation!” Technology companies are actively blunting individuals’ ability to reason and think. Some students don’t understand the difference between ChatGPT and a Google search. If you don’t have a foundational understanding of the world or a content area, you don’t know that what generative AI produces can often be wrong. Its results simply sound right. Matthew: I’ve even had people here discuss using ChatGPT to self-diagnose a health problem. Something we tell people not to even use Google for, and that was before misinformed AI-summaries.

" If you don’t have a foundational understanding of the world or a content area, you don’t know that what generative AI produces can often be wrong. Its results simply sound right." ~Ruth

from Part 1 of our conversation about AI in Academic Libraries 📚

crln.acrl.org/index.php/cr...