Overview OER Panel

Welcome to Open Education Week 2025!

Open Education Week is a chance for staff and faculty to shine a light on efforts made in OER throughout the district and nationwide. Our goal this week is to inspire faculty to explore the possibilities of using OER and work towards the common goal of lowering education costs for students. Zero Textbook Cost courses look different for each discipline and instructor, they allow for customization and collaboration among educators. Replacing paid resources with OER doesn't have to be an overhaul of your entire course nor a massive time commitment! Integrating OER can be as simple as looking for content in new places. 

In 2021, the San Diego Community College District received funding to expand the number of Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses. During the first round of faculty applications, we received 12 submissions. In the second round, that number grew to over 50! This surge in interest demonstrates that faculty are eager to enhance their online courses and make them more accessible to students, especially when support is available.

This OER panel will showcase projects developed through the Community Funding Grant, spanning various disciplines and campuses. These projects are relatively small in scope, such as replacing a textbook or paid software for a single course, to demonstrate that small changes make a huge impact on student experience. Follow their journey of exploring and adopting OER, and hopefully, you’ll be inspired to integrate OER into your own online course!

By the end of this module, you will:

• Explore reasons why OER benefits both students and instructors
• See examples of faculty-created Open Educational Resources (OER)
• Hear stories from faculty about their journey adopting and/or creating OER