Purpose of the committee
Open education encourages the creation, access and use of open educational materials to increase the affordability of education for students worldwide, but also makes possible the ability to reuse, revise, remix and redistribute content, creating new pedagogical opportunities that are changing the relationship students have with learning.
As open education finds fertile ground in York University classrooms and in the York University Libraries (YUL), this Steering Committee brings together key campus stakeholders to lend their expertise to this evolving area. This Steering Committee will engage in broader campus-wide discussion and will identify strategies for advancing open education at York University.
The Open Education Steering Committee will engage in broad stakeholder discussions to advance the following goals:
- Provide a forum for discussion and consideration of changes to the system of scholarly recognition for advances in open education, inclusive of advances in pedagogy and the development of open educational materials.
- Create awareness of open educational practices among York faculty and develop programmatic approaches to provide the York University community with coordinated continuing education and support in this area.
- Coordinate and promote the creation, mobilization, and discovery of open educational materials produced by the broader York University community.
- Investigate avenues towards adopting open and/or affordable course materials to impact student experience at York University.
Membership
The membership should reflect York’s commitment to developing campus strategy for increasing the quality and impact of York’s research and scholarship, supporting mechanisms to promote inclusive access, enhance knowledge exchange and mobilization, and promote global recognition of York’s contributions in this area, as stated in the University Academic Plan, IIRP, and PIER. Membership will provide insight into issues of importance in this arena and be able to speak from experience on behalf of the constituents they represent.
The Steering Committee consists of the following membership and will report back to the community through identified community stakeholder sessions to be determined by the committee.
Co-Chairs
Dean of Libraries (co-Chair) – Joy Kirchner
Associate Vice-President Teaching and Learning (co-Chair) – Will Gage
Libraries
Digital Engagement Librarian - Sarah Coysh
W.P. Scott Chair for Research in E-Librarianship-Hilary Barlow(begins Feb 2022)
Teaching and Learning Librarian - Stephanie Quail - on sabbatical until August 30, 2022
Learning Technology Services (LTS)
Manager, Learning Technologies - Rob Finlayson
Associate Vice-President, Teaching and Learning
Program Director, Teaching & Learning Strategic Initiatives - Karthiga Sandrasri
Teaching Commons
Interim Director - Genevieve Maheux-Pelletier
Faculty
- LAPS: Sean Kheraj, Associate Professor, Associate Dean for Programs LA&PS
- Glendon: Dominique Scheffel-Dunand, Professor,
Resources (advisory)
Director, Bookstores, Printing & Mailing Services - Chad Saunders
Director, Information, Privacy and Copyright Office - Patricia Lynch
Associate Dean, Digital Engagement and Strategy - Andrea Kosavic
Director, Open Scholarship - Dany Savard
Director, Student Learning & Academic Success - Dana Craig
Director, Digital Scholarship Infrastructure - Anna St.Onge
Director, Content Development and Analysis - Patti Ryan
Role of the Steering Group Members
In general terms, the Steering Group members should be prepared to share their expertise and judgment to advise the University through appropriate venues on University direction on open education.
For Steering group members, specific contributions include:
- sharing knowledge about York’s activities and priorities;
- a shared responsibility for broader consultation and information sharing with campus stakeholders;
- highlighting issues of concerns expressed by groups represented;
- identifying opportunities for prioritization and collaboration;
- providing advice on engagement processes;
- facilitating and/or supporting York’s connections and partnerships;
- engaging in a wide range of discussions and making informed recommendations as to the University’s service priorities and support for York’s scholarship.
Timeline
Two-year term
Frequency of Meetings
It is recommended that the meetings be scheduled quarterly. It is expected that smaller task groups (if any) will meet more frequently and report their activities to the Steering Committee.