Upcoming announcement from WA's Open Course Library

[Nicole Allen]

Hi everyone.  I wanted to pass along this exciting update Washington's Open Course Library.  On Tuesday the State Board is holding a conference call to announce the completion of all 81 courses - see below for details.  PIRG will be there to release some updated figures on how much $$ the project has saved students.

If you have contacts in the media or with bloggers, please feel free to pass this invitation along.  If you'd just like to listen in, please stay tuned for a recording that will be posted shortly after the call on the 30th.

Please join me in congratulating Connie for her tireless work to bring the Open Course Library to fruition!

Begin forwarded message:

From: Sherry Nelson <slne...@sbctc.edu>

Subject: MEDIA ADVISORY: telephone press conference to announce Open Course Library completion, release updated savings estimates

Date: April 25, 2013 4:19:02 PM EDT

To: 'Nicole Allen' <nic...@studentpirgs.org>

Cc: Sherry Nelson <slne...@sbctc.edu>

*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***    

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                

April 24, 2013

 

WASHINGTON STATE COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGES TO ANNOUNCE 81-COURSE LIBRARY OF FREE AND LOW-COST EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES 

Estimated Savings Already in Millions

 

WHAT:    Media conference telephone call to announce the completion of the Open Course Library (OCL), release updated savings estimates.

 

Over the past two years, teams of Washington community and technical college faculty, instructional designers, librarians, accessibility specialists, and global education experts set out to arm the system’s 81 highest-enrolled college courses with high-quality, low-cost educational materials including textbooks, syllabi, homework problems, and more. While college textbooks frequently cost $200 apiece, OCL course materials cost no more than $30 per course and are freely available for use by the state’s 34 public community and technical colleges, four-year colleges and universities, and anyone else in the world.

 

Widely acknowledged as “groundbreaking” by the higher education community, the OCL has already dramatically reduced textbook costs for students across the state. The first 42 courses were released in October 2011 and generated an estimated $1.3 million in savings. Completion of the remaining 39 courses and an updated savings estimate will be officially announced at the April 30, 2013 media conference call.

WHO:

During the call, reporters and bloggers will get in-depth information about the OCL, new estimates of textbook savings to students and families, and an opportunity for questions and answers with panelists.

• Shaunta Hyde, State Board member, Director of Global Aviation Policy for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, The Boeing Company
• Marty Brown, State Board for Community and Technical Colleges executive director
• Nicole Allen, Student Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) textbook advocate, and a nationally recognized expert on textbook costs
• Quill West, Tacoma Community College Open Education Resources project director
• David Lippman, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom (Lakewood, Wash.) mathematics instructor
• Tammy Questi, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom OCL math student and dental hygiene graduate

 

WHEN: Tuesday, April 30, 10:30 a.m. Pacific [11:30 a.m. Mountain, 12:30 p.m. Central, 1:30 p.m. Eastern]

Call will last approximately 25 minutes plus questions.

 

WHERE:    To participate in the telephone press conference, call (800) 920-7487. At prompt, enter code: 1649325#

Space is limited. To guarantee your spot on the call, please RSVP to Sherry Nelson, slne...@sbctc.edu.

 

CONTACT:  Connie Broughton, SBCTC Director of eLearning and Open Education, 360-704-4334, cbrou...@sbctc.edu

Sherry Nelson, SBCTC Communications, (360) 704-4308, slne...@sbctc.edu

 

 

Background and Resources:

Open Course Library

Tacoma Community College “Liberate $250k” Campaign

Student Public Interest Research Groups

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

 

The Open Course Library was seeded with funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Washington State Legislature.

 

 

Sherry Nelson | communications and outreach associate

Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges
1300 Quince St SE · PO Box 42495 · Olympia WA 98504-2495
slne...@sbctc.edu | p (360) 704-4308 | f (360) 704-4415 | c (206) 369-6509

» checkoutacollege.com » sbctc.edu » twitter.com/SBCTCWashington

 

 

[Mary Burgess]

How exciting! Congratulations Connie, what an accomplishment, not to mention its benefit to the Open Community. Hope you are planning on celebrating!!

CONTACT:  Connie Broughton, SBCTC Director of eLearning and Open Education, 360-704-4334, cbroughton@sbctc.edu