Senior Leaders, Deans and Associate Deans in their leadership roles are key players in the affordable learning initiative. Associate Dean leadership, vision, and accountability are critical.
As Associate Deans, you know affordability is a major challenge in higher education that hinders our ability to recruit and retain students, and financial concerns hamper our students learning. Although tuition and housing are the largest expenses for students, course material costs are felt as uniquely burdensome by students. While we are aware that our faculty don't set tuition or control the the local housing market, they do decide what materials students will be required to buy or rent for our courses. Taking steps to reduce or even eliminate students' material costs can improve learning outcomes as well as materially improve students' lives outside school.
Opportunities for Associate Dean leadership in action:
Consider incentive structures for developing/deploying low or no-cost course materials
- Set quarterly check-ins with Department Chairs, and individual faculty to review course material costs.
- Review what the average expected costs will be for students by school year, and where there may be opportunities to identify high-enrolled courses, with exceptionally high course material costs.
- Explore opportunities to reduce costs for core/required courses, to maximize savings for undergraduate/graduate students.
- Communicate with Deans about strategies for introducing low or no-cost course materials into the curriculum.
- Consider incentive structures for adapting/adopting/developing Open Educational course materials.
- Share information about scholarships through the Open Education Task Force with faculty.
- Adapt/explore how OER can count towards tenure in other institutions.
Be aware of campus deadlines, and their impact on affordability for course materials
- Develop strategies with your departments to identify potential pain points/opportunities for impact for majors and non-majors.
- Encourage Faculty to be timely with Course Adoptions, as late Adoptions can lead to higher course material costs.
Be an advocate for affordable learning initiatives on campus
- Be aware of the Library's Textbook Options resources for faculty.
- Help identify and recommend faculty champions to mentor and support new faculty in your school/college.
- Share out the work of the Affordable Learning @ Seattle University and the Open Education Task Force to your department chairs and teams.
- Participate in workshops, attend listening sessions, and provide timely feedback for affordable learning initiatives on campus.
- Encourage faculty participation in Affordable Learning @ Seattle University events, workshops and listening sessions.
Be aware of, and direct faculty to resources and support for Open Educational Resources (OER).
- Be informed/share information about existing campus supports for affordable learning and Open Educational Resources (OER).