Ms. Lisa Louis from the Mary and Jeff Bell Library has been selected as a fellow in the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program, an intensive professional development program to empower library professionals with the knowledge, skills, and community connections to lead successful open education initiatives that benefit students. The two-semester program blends online, peer-to-peer, and project-based learning to build a comprehensive understanding of the open education space coupled with practical know-how to take action on campus and beyond. Lisa is one of 27 fellows selected from a competitive application pool for the program’s 2019-2020 cohort.
The Dean of Libraries, Dr. Cate Rudowsky shares that Bell Library joins TAMU-CC and the TAMU System in a commitment to offering students affordable learning tools, including open educational resources. As our campus moves forward on such initiatives, we are honored to have Lisa Louis, Associate Librarian Faculty, be selected for the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program. This well respected national program prepares open education leaders who can help take their campuses to the next level.
The SPARC Open Education Leadership Program spans two semesters, beginning with an intensive online course in the fall to build open education subject matter expertise. In the spring, Ms. Louis will work with a mentor to implement a capstone project that will help advance open education at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and contribute back to the broader open education community as a whole. Lisa will join the rest of the cohort in attending the 16th annual Open Education Conference in Phoenix, AZ in late October.
Lisa believes that “this program will help me advocate more effectively for open education and affordable learning options at TAMU-CC. I am particularly interested in both open educational practices and in finding creative ways to support faculty who are considering moving away from traditional textbooks and toward open alternatives.”
She explains that “We have been exploring the OER landscape for the past two years. We established an OER Task Force in 2017, with faculty from all the colleges, members of our Student Government Association, and other interested members of the TAMU-CC community. We have held events, including lectures, forums and a Community of Practice. We have spoken with students and faculty about textbook affordability and open options. We are looking forward to a second Community of Practice this year, as well as more events on the theme of open access and open education.”
“Academic libraries sit at the intersection of faculty, students, and high-quality resources, and therefore are essential partners in advancing open education on campus,” said Nicole Allen, Director of Open Education for SPARC. “A large part of what makes our program successful is the unique and valuable perspective each participant brings to it, and a vibrant community of practice develops amongst the cohort. We are proud to have Lisa among our 2019-2020 class.”
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is a member of SPARC, which is a global coalition dedicated to making Open the default in research and education. More information about the SPARC Open Education Leadership Program.
