July Newsletter: OER is a High Impact Practice

Jul 16

OER is a High-Impact Practice

A new study by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) recognized open educational resources as a high-impact practice, only the twelfth to earn this designation in nearly two decades. High-impact practices are teaching approaches that research consistently links to stronger student outcomes, like undergraduate research and first-year seminars.

The study draws on nearly 700,000 student records across 15 institutions and survey data from 200+ instructors. Findings include higher “A” rates across every institution type, no decline in outcomes anywhere, and the strongest gains among Pell-eligible, first-generation, and part-time students. The study links the strongest outcomes with institutional support for OER, though, unlike most other high-impact practices, OER can still be implemented by individual faculty without requiring additional infrastructure.

This is great news for open education and student success advocates to share far and wide. We've created a template email that you can adapt and send to your own administrators.

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Upcoming Working Groups

As the spring working groups on Research, Professional Development, and Outreach wrap up their work, we are preparing to launch two new working groups for members to join. These groups are a great way to shape the association’s programming and connect with peers. Time commitment is 4-6 hours per month.

Code of Conduct Working Group: Starting this summer, this group will develop a code of conduct covering all association spaces, including the Open Education Conference.

Recognition Working Group: Launching in fall, this group advises the association on how to support and advance recognition for members, from formal awards to spotlighted profiles.

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Policy Spotlight: California

A delegation of California Community College students, faculty, and administrators spent a day in Sacramento highlighting the impact of the state's Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Degree Grant Program, meeting directly with seven legislative offices and sharing data with more than thirty others. Sen. Jesse Arreguín introduced a resolution on the Senate Floor recognizing the program's first-year results.

A new data snapshot shared by the Michelson 20MM Foundation found the program saved community college students an estimated $32.9 million in the 2024-25 academic year alone. The program is in its last year of state funding, and the Open Education Association will join California advocates in making the case for renewal next year.

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Resource Highlight

We offer a range of popular, field-wide resources. Check out our latest addition.

Open Education Funding Guide

Based on the overwhelming interest in our recent webin ar, this new guide offers a starting point for open education funding. Topics include how to plan ahead, where to look, tips for building relationships, and how to write a strong proposal.

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What We’re Reading

The recent EDUCAUSE Review article “The Current State of Play: AI in Higher Education and the Road Ahead” by Paul LeBlanc, George Siemens, and others examines ten challenges that higher education is grappling with in the AI transition. It offers a useful synthesis of some of the key debates college and university leaders face, as well as the authors’ take on how to address them.

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Member Profiles

Each month we’ll highlight Open Education Association members and what drives their work. Want to be featured? Share your story.

Dr. Emily Ragan

This chemistry professor was "tricked" into trying OER by a practical pitch, then found something bigger: a paradigm shift toward putting learning objectives before resources, and a community built on the simple, human act of sharing what you know. Read More

Dr. Rebecca Karoff

This Texas leader spent years championing open education from the inside, watching it transform how students access and define their own learning. Now she has a message for the institutional leaders: it's time to claim this work as your own. Read More

Become a Member

Register Now for OpenEd26

You won't want to miss this year's virtual event on October 27-29, which explores the theme The Space Between. Association members can register at a discount anytime before the conference, and earlybird pricing on general registration ends August 31. Register today.