March 1 to 5 VCU Libraries celebrates Open Education Week. This global event is an opportunity to share and learn about the latest achievements in Open Education worldwide.

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials that are free to access online and shared with open licenses that allow for unrestricted use, retention, sharing and editing by faculty and students. OER can be any type of teaching or learning materials, including textbooks, images, videos, slide decks, assessments, syllabi and whole courses. Learn more about open educational resources.

VCU Libraries invites all to  mark the commemorative week with these activities.

• VCU Open Images on the Cabell Screen, March 1-5 on the Cabell Screen
  This exhibit showcases just a small selection of open access and public domain images in the VCU Libraries collections, as well as images from open educational resources and works of scholarship created by members of the VCU community. All are freely accessible to those at VCU and around the world. Learn more about the exhibit. Interested in tuning in from off campus? Watch via the Cabell Webcam, which sweeps by the screen once per minute.

• Getting Started with Open Educational Resources 
  Friday, March 5, 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
  Would you like to incorporate open educational resources (OER) into your course, but aren't sure where to start? In this workshop, Abbey Elder, Iowa State University and author of the OER Starter Kit, will guide you through the processes of finding, modifying, and creating OER. Participants will leave the workshop with a set of practical tools and strategies for approaching their OER journey, as well as a better understanding of the support available for instructors in Virginia. Sponsored by the State Council for Higher Education for Virginia’s Open Virginia Advisory Committee. Register for this March 5 session.

• To learn more about what VCU Libraries and others are doing to celebrate Open Education Week, visit this research guide. 

Open Education Week is an opportunity to learn about open education and to create connections across and between communities who are engaged with open education. But this engagement can continue year round through VCU Libraries’ Open and Affordable Course Content Initiative. This initiative provides education on open education and textbook affordability and direct support for the adoption, customization, and creation of open educational resources, including managing the Affordable Course Content Awards. To learn more or explore the possibility of using or creating OER, visit the initiative’s website or contact Open Educational Resources Librarian Jessica Kirschner at kirschnerj2@vcu.edu.