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| Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources | |
|---|---|
| Name | Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources |
| Caption | Logo of the Consortium |
| Formed | 2007 |
| Founders | John Seeley Brown; David Wiley |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Area served | Global |
| Focus | Open educational resources |
Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources is an association formed to support open educational resources across community colleges and two-year institutions. The Consortium connects practitioners, administrators, and technologists from institutions such as Arizona State University, City College of San Francisco, University of California, Berkeley, California State University, Long Beach, Columbia University and University of Michigan to share materials and practices. It promotes resource repositories, professional development, and policy advocacy in concert with organizations including Creative Commons, SPARC, UNESCO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and The Hewlett Foundation.
The Consortium was launched in 2007 amid a wave of initiatives exemplified by MIT OpenCourseWare, OpenLearn, Wikipedia, Connexions (now OpenStax CNX), and the Khan Academy movement, building on advocacy from figures like David Wiley and institutions such as Rice University and Stanford University. Early activities included pilots funded by philanthropic entities like The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and convenings that mirrored meetings at The New Media Consortium and EDUCAUSE. The Consortium expanded its network through collaborations with state systems such as the California Community Colleges and national efforts modeled on Open Educational Resources Commons and MERLOT. Over subsequent years it aligned with policy dialogues involving U.S. Department of Education, Association of American Colleges and Universities, American Association of Community Colleges, and international discussions at UNESCO World Open Educational Resources Congress.
The Consortium's mission emphasizes access, affordability, and adoption of openly licensed learning materials among community colleges and technical colleges including Ivy Tech Community College, Miami Dade College, Northern Virginia Community College, and Houston Community College. Objectives include developing open repositories similar to OpenStax, supporting faculty development likened to programs at Carnegie Mellon University and Harvard University's Bok Center, and informing institutional policy in ways that echo standards from ISO and recommendations from Association of College and Research Libraries. The organization advocates alignment with licensing frameworks such as Creative Commons Attribution and interoperability standards derived from IMS Global and Learning Tools Interoperability.
Programs encompass open textbook reviews, faculty fellowships inspired by initiatives at Oregon State University and University of Minnesota, grant-writing support paralleling practices at National Science Foundation-funded projects, and technical assistance for learning management systems like Moodle, Canvas (software), and Blackboard Learn. Services include a curated catalog of resources akin to MERLOT and OER Commons, professional development webinars in partnership with Open Education Consortium and research dissemination through white papers resembling outputs from Brookings Institution and Pew Research Center. The Consortium also facilitates open pedagogy workshops drawing on examples from Portland Community College and course redesign projects comparable to Achieving the Dream.
Membership comprises community colleges, state systems, consortia, and supporting organizations such as Creative Commons, SPARC, OpenStax, CK-12 Foundation, and funders like Gates Foundation. Governance follows a board model with representatives from institutions such as CUNY, Los Angeles Community College District, Texas State Technical College, and higher-education associations including American Association of Community Colleges and Association of Community College Trustees. Advisory committees reflect expertise from institutions like Johns Hopkins University and University of Washington, and meet to align strategy with regulatory contexts shaped by laws such as the Higher Education Act of 1965 and policy guidance from U.S. Department of Education offices.
The Consortium cultivates partnerships with repositories and initiatives including OpenStax, Saylor Academy, MERLOT, OER Commons, edX, and Coursera where appropriate, and collaborates with research centers at Indiana University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of British Columbia. It engages state higher-education systems such as the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and nonprofits including Achieving the Dream and Jobs for the Future to scale adoption. International collaborations extend to UNESCO programs, Commonwealth of Learning, and networks like the Open Education Consortium to share models and research.
Measured outcomes include textbook cost savings reported in case studies from Florida Virtual Campus, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, and pilot evaluations similar to those at University System of Georgia, with adoption metrics tracked by institutions such as Lumen Learning partners and state systems like Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Research collaborations with universities such as University of Maryland and think tanks like Brookings Institution have documented improved completion rates and retention in redesigned courses, echoing findings from Achieving the Dream and Hawkins Center for Innovative Teaching. The Consortium’s work has contributed to policy shifts in state legislatures and system offices including the California State Legislature and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Funding sources include philanthropic grants from William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, project support from Institute of Museum and Library Services, and contracts with state systems and foundations like Lumina Foundation. Revenue streams have included membership dues, consulting services, and sponsored research with partners such as EDUCAUSE and Sloan Consortium (now Online Learning Consortium), while sustainability strategies draw on models used by Creative Commons, OpenStax, and university press collaborations exemplified by University of Chicago Press and MIT Press.
Category:Open educational resources organizations Category:Community colleges in the United States