Connexion -http://cnx.org/
Below are the Handouts from this session. A complete 600 page textbook titled Collaborative Statistics is found on the home page of the above link. Full content of the textbook is also available at this link by downloading a pdf or by purchasing a bound hard copy of the text for $31.98 plus shipping. The dollar amount is to cover the cost of producing the book.

Connexion is a program at Rice University and is a partner of the Community College Consortium (83 colleges participating to date) for Open Educational Resources (CCCOER). Founding premise was to create modules of information - each created by a specialist, then the modules are combined and made available to all via Connexion.

Cable Green, Director or eLearning at the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges has registered all WA state community colleges with this consortium, making these resources available to us. Follow the link below for more information on Cable Green and the blogs that he's set up, one of which is set to discuss specifically the topic of open educational resources.
http://nscc-elearningfaculty.wetpaint.com/page/Technology+-+theory+%2F+controversy

Accuracy and credibility of posted materials is obtained through lenses that act as filters. These lenses come in the form of endorsements made by peers, educational institutions, etc.

Volunteer request - Dr. Judy Baker, Dean, Foothill College (bakerjudy@foothill.edu) is currently looking and has stipends for volunteers to critique materials that have been submitted (peer review).

Campaign to reduce college textbooks costs.
Sign a petition to make texts affordable: http://www.maketextbooksaffordable.org/statement

Collaborative Statistics - a 600 pp. math text that is open source. Featured on the front page of Connexion website.

• Authors report that they get approximately 20 emails per week from people who've seen their book on Connexion and are asking questions.
• Authors also note that another faculty rep from a different school has used their text and submitted to Connexion improvements/useful modifications following the Creative Commons user agreement, thus making the combined text even more thorough and of greater benefit to the public.
  
  • In this way the learning becomes better.
  • The focus of the educational resource switches to that of people working together to create a project vs that of a single author or publisher seeking to make a profit.
  • This is more in line with the Web 2.0 learning environment where materials are available online
• This approach also results in the development of shared materials between the members of the consortium.
• Faculty developing an open textbook can/will be featured on the Connexion website.
  

• Having open educational resources available online we can more easily customize our delivery of info to accommodate different learning styles thanks to the technology.
• Open education resources through Connexion puts learning materials online and aligns with the learning style "Just in Time Learning". This is where the savvy student has learned how to find and critically evaluate information rapidly online on an as-needed basis vs. the "just in case" learning style we've been using that requires the student to absorb a glut of information in preparation for the time when a piece of info may be needed.

Theory: The founding premise mentioned above is (again) based on the idea that specialists create modules of information and make them available to all in the consortium (CCCOER).
Application: Specific to NSCC who is looking to build online orientations to computer literacy:
NeLSC produces the training modules specific to the training (computer basics) that we give to students.
Library produces training modules specific to internet research and computer literacy
IT or someone produces modules on user ethics, responsibility, campus procedures, etc.
Then the materials combined become a 2-3 credit course for students that is built within a reasonable and useful time frame. These modules can be loaded onto Connexions for use following the creative commons licensing criteria as specified by determined by the contributors.We could further the benefit by perusing Connexions for materials created at other schools such as Pierce and incorporating them into our 'course'.

10/15/2009 - elluminate Webinar lead by Judy Hood - 90 minutes How to Adopt an Open Textbook