Apply For Funding to Support Your Open Pedagogy Projects
Open educational resources (OER), particularly open textbooks, have become widely used at USask since the first adoption for a large class in early 2015. More than 8,000 students used OER instead of commercial materials during the 2020-2021 academic year.
That growth has helped to raise awareness about open educational practices overall, including open pedagogy.
Taking an open pedagogy approach to assessment allows students to contribute to the creation of knowledge and resources that not only demonstrates their learning, but also provides opportunities to show how their learning and the discipline can contribute to helping local communities and the world address the challenges we face today. This approach increases engagement and may help address instructor concerns related to academic integrity. Integrating open pedagogy into courses also helps to address the Pursuits within the USask Learning Charter.
Examples of Open Pedagogy at USask
Several courses across multiple disciplines at USask have included an open pedagogy component, including:
- Students in Health Studies looked at the COVID-19 pandemic through an interdisciplinary lens and created artwork and reflective writings as a way of sharing their own experiences. The work was published in the Canadian Medical Education Journal (CMEJ).
- Students in an instructional design course (graduate level) in the College of Education collaborated to revise an open textbook on instructional design to improve it and create a Canadian edition.
- Students in Astronomy conduct undergraduate research, then publish their findings to a WordPress site that continues to grow each year.
Funding and Support Available
If you have an idea for an open pedagogy project for a course, there are funds available to support a TA to assist with integrating this approach.
There is also a newly launched website on open pedagogy that includes ideas for integrating open pedagogy into courses and how this approaches aligns with the Learning Charter.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the GMCTL.
