Presentation at KU Libraries to highlight impact of open education
LAWRENCE — Virginia Clinton-Lisell, associate professor in educational foundations and research at the University of North Dakota and lead researcher of the Open Education Group, will visit the University of Kansas Lawrence campus to deliver a public lecture about her research on open education.
Open educational resources (OER) are openly licensed teaching and learning materials accessible to anyone at no cost. Clinton-Lisell’s presentation, "The Power of Open Education: Research-Based Insights on Open Licensing in the Classroom," will focus on the effects that OER can have on teaching and learning outcomes and the assessment needed to determine their influence.
The talk will take place at 10 a.m. March 14 in Watson Library 3 West.
“It's important that the interventions we advocate for, such as the use of OER and related practices, are supported by research findings," said Josh Bolick, head of the David Shulenburger Office of Scholarly Communication & Copyright in KU Libraries. "Dr. Clinton-Lisell is a leader in the field, and I'm excited that she's visiting KU."
Clinton-Lisell’s presentation will examine research-supported benefits of open education for students, including allowing access to learning resources without financial barriers as well as open pedagogy. Research around current trends in educational materials for college students, including commercial homework systems with paid access codes and automatic textbook billing, will also be discussed.
Clinton-Lisell’s lecture is hosted by KU Libraries and has broad university support with sponsorship from the Center for Teaching Excellence, Achievement & Assessment Institute, William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications, School of Education & Human Sciences, School of Architecture & Design, School of Law and School of Professional Studies.
KU Libraries has long been a leader in the advancement of open knowledge, including open education, joining the Open Education Network in 2015, and establishing an OER Grant Initiative that has provided 44 awards to KU instructors with an estimated annual savings of more than $1.2 million for KU students. The libraries support OER publishing via the Pressbooks platform, collaborating with co-authors to publish their work openly, with 24 titles in the KU Pressbooks catalog and more than 20 in development.
Other efforts include supporting the Faculty Senate Open Access Policy, OA publishing support, scholarly communication and copyright services, KU ScholarWorks repository, Digital Publishing Services and partnership in Research Data Management and Sharing.
The libraries have also recognized and encouraged OER advocacy at KU via Textbook Heroes since 2019. Prior to Clinton-Lisell’s presentation, the libraries’ Shulenburger Office of Scholarly Communication & Copyright will announce the 2025 Textbook Hero, an honor presented to a member of the KU community who has taken extraordinary initiative to increase access to and affordability of required course materials by implementing and advocating for OER and other low- and no cost course materials.
The special guest, and award presentation, follow Open Education Week, a weeklong global event which aims to raise awareness, showcase initiatives, and celebrate the impact of open education on teaching and learning worldwide.
“We are excited to have Dr. Clinton-Lisell, a well-respected researcher in the field of open education, to speak about how open education and OER can impact teaching and learning for the Libraries Open Education Week event,” said Heather Mac Bean, KU Libraries’ Open Education Librarian. “We’re also delighted to announce this year’s Textbook Hero, someone who has championed OER creation and use in the classroom.”