2024/2025 State OER Report for Iowa

[Elder, Abbey K [LIB]]

[Apologies for cross-posting]

For those interested in getting a birds' eye view of how OER initiatives are supported across various institutions, I'm happy to share the latest annual report from the Iowa Open Education Action Team! 

Our 2024/2025 Annual Report (available in Google Drive and attached to this message) includes the findings from our annual OER survey, which was sent to all Iowa colleges and universities earlier this spring. State universities, community colleges, and independent institutions were all included in this review. In addition to our survey findings, the report includes a summary of the action team’s recent work to support open education initiatives in Iowa.

The major outcomes of this year’s report include: 

1. Students saved over $9.5 million thanks to the use of open educational resources (OER) across Iowa colleges and universities during the 2024/2025 academic year.

2. High-level initiatives in support of OER are growing, but funding and capacity to support educators remain areas of need, particularly for smaller institutions and those without dedicated support staff.

3. Colleges and universities require training and support to develop sustainable OER initiatives that are responsive to the needs of educators and students.  

Please feel free to share the report and summary with your peers and colleagues and feel free to reach out if you have questions about our team and work.

Sincerely, 

--

Abbey K. Elder

Statewide Open Education Coordinator, Iowa OER

Open Access & Scholarly Communication Librarian, Iowa State University

ORCiD: 0000-0003-2289-0166