OEGlobal 2024

One of the biggest challenges in getting some faculty members to adopt OER is a lack of supplemental resources. In some disciplines, this can be the difference between using a resource that students struggle to pay for and resources that are free. Artificial Intelligence can help solve this challenge as AI tools create flashcards, quizzes, graphics and even course objectives and key takeaways to pair with OER textbooks and additional materials.

This session will look at the AI tools and best practices that Open Educational textbook authors can use to help create supplemental materials for their textbooks quickly and easily. We will use and explain resources for faculty members and others who want to adopt or use Open Educational Resources, but they miss the ease of publisher provided flashcards, notes, presentations, quizzes and tests.



Included in [Session 10D]: Open Texts (Workshops)

Author Keywords
Artificial Intelligence, Supplemental Materials, Open Education Publishing, Open Textbooks

Our recent publication, an innovative open book, “Communication across Cultures”, designed to enhance intercultural competence, leverages culture as content and language as a medium to aim at facilitating effective communication in a context that may present cultural challenges.

This presentation will showcase how the book integrates interactive and collaborative tasks, employing H5P and reflective activities to create an engaging learning experience. This open book is structured in three modules to provide students with opportunities to immerse themselves in various cultural contexts through dynamic and various multimedia materials. By using videos, interactive quizzes, and discussions, this book addresses different learning styles, ensuring that individual students can connect with the content in a meaningful way.

The interactive tasks are not only informative but also encourage students to engage in critical thinking and self-reflection about their cultural assumptions and biases. These tasks in the modules are designed to be flexible and adaptable, allowing educators to tailor the content to their specific classroom needs. Moreover, this book serves as a prime example of how supplementary educational resources can be created using open educational resources (OERs). By maximising the use of OERs, we have curated a wealth of high-quality materials that educators can access and apply. This approach not only reduces the cost of educational resources but also fosters a culture of sharing and collaboration in the educational community.

Before introducing this book in the classroom, using an adapted usability testing framework, data were collected from the researcher’s notes, during participant interactions with the book during the workshop, six individual participants written comments and interviews with two participants, and feedback from three educators. The data were analysed using a usability matrix (Kessler & Plakans, 2001, p.8) with a focus on three aspects: design, navigation, and content.



Included in [Session 10D]: Open Texts (Workshops)

References
Kessler, G., & Plakans, L. (2001). Incorporating ESOL learners' feedback and usability testing in instructor-developed CALL materials. TESOL Journal, 10(1), 15-20. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1949-3533.2001.tb00012.x

Author Keywords
Roles of technology, Open educational resources, Culture and language learning