Call For Chapter Proposals: Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice
We invite proposals for the forthcoming book from ACRL Press, Using Open Educational Resources to Promote Social Justice.
Focus of the Book:
Many academic institutions recognize the benefits Open Educational Resources (OERs) offer to their students and are investing heavily in the development of open course materials. Several state governments have adopted legislation or policies that encourage the creation of open resources. Research on OERs is still in the burgeoning phase, however there is growing evidence that the inclusive design of open learning materials can reduce disparities between low socio-economic students and their fellow classmates.
While educators are developing new curricula, they have an opportunity to embed social justice principles into the course design and materials. Considering that white males are still significantly overrepresented on most faculty rosters, there is a risk that the white male perspective will once again be centered in these materials, omitting many marginalized voices. We encourage academics to embrace the fact that OERs allow educators to rewrite the rule book and normalize inclusive design built around social justice. Without intervention, it is too easy to replicate the same problems plaguing traditional publishers.
This book seeks to address strategies to implement OERs to support social justice.
We invite chapters on topics including but not limited to the following:
OERs as a way to support economically marginalized students
OERs as a way to bring marginalized voices into the curriculum
OERs as a way to level the playing ground between institutions, particularly for Minority Serving Institutions and HBCUs, which have historically been underfunded within the US, as well as between countries with varying levels of access
Intersections between OER adoption and Critical Race Theory, Feminist Pedagogy, and other critical approaches to curriculum development and pedagogy
Examinations of the colonizing nature of OER (prominently Western and male) and how that has been affecting equity and inclusion efforts
Strategies to motivate minoritized voices to pursue the development of appropriate OER projects
Reflections on work encouraging faculty to adopt or develop OERs as it connects with social justice frameworks
Reflections of challenges specific to the adoption or development of open textbooks
Connections between Critical Information Literacy, OERs, and social justice
Assessment of OER implementation
The potentially ephemeral nature of OERs and how to cope with that as an instructor
Submission Procedure:
Email an abstract (up to 500 words, submitted as a Word document) and author(s) CV to OERsocialjustice@protonmail.
Timeline
Submit proposals by October 30, 2020
Notifications will be sent by November 16, 2020
Completed manuscripts (tentatively 3,000-6,000 words) due by March 1, 2021
About the editors
CJ Ivory is Assistant Professor & Learning and Research Support Librarian at the University of West Georgia. She also serves as the campus liaison to Affordable Learning Georgia, which is the statewide office responsible for encouraging the adoption of OERs.
Angela Pashia is the Head of Learning and Research Support and Associate Professor at the University of West Georgia.
Assistant Professor & Librarian
Affordable Learning Georgia Library Coordinator
Learning & Research Support Division
University of West Georgia
Ingram Library
p:678-839-6359
civory@westga.edu
