Mission
The Regional Leaders of Open Education Network (RLOE) brings together leaders from across North American institutional and regional boundaries in order to vitalize Open Education initiatives that especially support underserved student populations. Underserved students include (but are not limited to): BIPOC students, students with disabilities, food-insecure students, remote rural students, foster-care students, students impacted by incarceration, LGBTQIA students, student parents, and first-generation college students.
The RLOE Network Leadership Program supports leaders to build individualized strategic plans for Open Education that align with existing campus goals to support underserved and underrepresented students. Our programming helps leaders structure plans that integrate the use, application and development of open education resources (OER) and open educational practices (OEP).
Our Values
We invest in open education leadership that strengthens relationships, resources, and communication which promote anti-racism and centers these values:
- Access,
- Student agency and the rights of learners,
- Community and collaboration,
- Care, generosity, and generativity,
- Anti-Racism, Social Justice, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion.
Hear RLOE students share their experiences in RLOE program. The video starts with Bridget Raymundo sharing her reflections on the value of the RLOE network and Leadership Program, followed by Elizabeth Braatz sharing her reflections. (Recorded during Panel from an OEWeek 2022 Presentation.)
RLOE Cornerstones
Structured to align with areas of action for the UNESCO OER Recommendation, RLOE highlights four main cornerstones:
- Policy and Strategy,
- Professional Development,
- Stewardship and,
- Sustainability
Networked leaders will collaborate as they develop open education strategic plans for their institutions, integrating the cornerstones, and working together to sustain long-term institutional goals for open education. We believe that networking is critical to support the work of open education through nurturing the leadership, community and relationships that are necessary for the long-term sustainability of OER and Open Educational Practices (OEP).
Hear RLOE participants share their experiences in RLOE program. The video starts with participant Cathy Germano sharing her reflections on the value of the RLOE network and Leadership Program, followed by Manisha Khetarpal sharing her reflections. (Recorded during Panel from an OEWeek 2022 Presentation.)
Structured to align with areas of action for the UNESCO OER Recommendation, RLOE highlights four main cornerstones:
- Policy and Strategy,
- Professional Development,
- Stewardship and,
- Sustainability
Networked leaders will collaborate as they develop open education strategic plans for their institutions, integrating the cornerstones, and working together to sustain long-term institutional goals for open education. We believe that networking is critical to support the work of open education through nurturing the leadership, community and relationships that are necessary for the long-term sustainability of OER and Open Educational Practices (OEP).
Network Structure
In natural ecosystems, complexity, high biodiversity and interconnectedness are required for a sustainable and resilient ecological system. Similarly, we build our network on diverse human infrastructure and invest in the relationships amongst individuals, communities and institutions that promote resilience, vibrancy and long-term sustainability of OER and OEP.
The RLOE network especially invests in supporting leadership that promotes anti-racism and social justice. As we focus on organizational leaders, we also question what leadership means. Who within an organization has agency and is empowered to make change? How do we nurture a diverse range of leaders that can help drive agendas for open education? The network helps individuals identify their sphere(s) of influence and empowers them to act within those spheres.
Creating highly connected human networks composed of key open education stakeholders (such as academic, community and government leaders, funding foundations/organizations, librarians, instructional designers, faculty, students, digital learning administrators, informational technologists, etc.) is essential to the work and mission of RLOE.
The RLOE Leadership Program
We integrate the structural cornerstones as driving questions for change to support leaders as they develop strategic plans for open education within three main areas of focus. For each of these areas, we strive to answer these questions:
- What policies and strategies need to be in place?
- What professional development supports need to be in place?
- Where and how are materials stored, databased, curated, cared for, licensed, formatted and distributed? (locally, regionally, nationally, globally)
- What are the plans for ongoing support and funding?
I. Increasing use of OER: Institutional adoption of existing OER
Finding and using OER as replacement for commercial products (texts and related learning materials) increasing access/saving money for students
II. Building the OER Ecosystem: Staff/Faculty/Professional OER Creation
Faculty/staff remixing and adapting existing OER, and authoring and creating new OER for courses, programs, curricula, accessibility, socio-cultural representation and sharing across the network
III. Applying OER in teaching: Open Educational Practices (OEP)
Designing, learning or experimenting with classroom practices, open pedagogies, renewable assignments, classroom policies and digital tools that enhance learning, promote student agency and representational justice (Lambert 2018), allow for flexibility and openness, but also protect student privacy and choice. This includes but is not limited to student authoring/remixing/co-creating OER.
Program Delivery
RLOE faculty offer online workshops including asynchronous online materials/activities, and synchronous activities such as webinars and discussion boards to three cohorts of 30-40 North American regional OE leaders representing approximately 90-120 institutions.
OE leaders participating in the network will also receive ongoing mentorship from open education and DEI leaders to support longer-term plan implementation.
Using virtual communication tools such as OEG connect, RLOE participants will stay connected to a large network of leadership peers providing additional resources and support.
ECMC foundation
The RLOE network and programming is made possible by generous funding from the ECMC foundation whose mission is “to inspire and to facilitate improvements that affect educational outcomes—especially among underserved populations—through evidence-based innovation.”