The Iowa OER Communities of Practice (CoPs) program is a free professional development opportunity that supports instructors who want to connect with peers over a shared interest in open educational resources (OER). Participants in this program will have the chance to foster connections, build expertise, and identify, adapt, or create OER to support their work. Instructional designers are also encouraged to apply to build connections with the instructors in the CoPs.
About the Program
The Communities of Practice cohorts meet monthly over the course of the academic year, from October through May. Cohorts may choose to continue meeting past this point if they wish. Past groups have collaborated on research projects and even presented at conferences about their work!
Each cohort will have additional support and facilitation provided by local Open Education leaders who will help drive discussions and answer questions. As teams become established, participants will begin developing original projects that build on the concepts they have learned. The project scope will be determined by each participant, based on their interests and time.
2025 Communities of Practice
This year, we plan to coordinate communities of practice for the following disciplines:
- Psychology
- Teacher Education
- Environmental Science & Agriculture
Timeline
- September 29: Applicants will be notified about the status of their application
- October: Virtual kickoff event with a special guest speaker!
How to apply
- Complete a short questionnaire that provides information about you, your discipline, your institution, your experience with OER, and why you want to participate in the program.
- For instructional designers: please note in the application if you have a preference for which disciplinary group you’d like to participate in.
- Provide a brief description (200 words or less) of the project you would like to pursue during the academic year. This is a brainstorming exercise! You may change your plan for your project as you progress through the program’s curriculum.
- Consider what makes sense given your level of experience with OER (e.g. identifying OER available in your field, drafting an IRB application to study the use of OER in a course, or developing the outline for future OER development).
Expectations for Participants
Participants will be required to attend a virtual kickoff event with a guest speaker in October and to participate in monthly, one-hour calls with their community of practice from October through May.
$100 will be provided at the end of the academic year to support the instructors from Iowa who participate in at least 6 monthly meetings and complete an assessment reflecting on their experience in the community of practice.
NOTE: This year, educators from other states are welcome to participate in the CoPs as well! However, we can only provide funding for educators in Iowa.
Throughout the curriculum, participants will work on an original project of their choice. This may be an individual or group project. In March, participants will be asked to present on their progress toward their final project, as part of international Open Education Week. This presentation may be fulfilled through the completion of a blog post, a poster presentation, or participation in a panel coordinated by the Iowa OER team. In May, participants will be asked to complete a survey reflecting on their experience in the Communities of Practice program.
Questions?
Contact the project lead, Abbey Elder, at aelder@iastate.edu