You Know More Than You Think You Do: Overcoming OER Impostor Syndrome
Channel: Open Education Southern Symposium
Date: 2021-09-22

You’re passionate about all things open, you have interest from faculty, and you have the support of your administration. But do you find yourself doubting your OER knowledge and abilities, and questioning whether you’re the right person to lead these efforts? You may have impostor syndrome – and you’re not alone. Since Pauline Clance and Suzanne Ives established the “impostor phenomenon” in their landmark 1978 study, impostor syndrome has been identified as a stumbling block for people across all professions. In her recent study, Owens (2020) found that scholarly communication librarians struggle with moderate to frequent instances of imposter syndrome. If allowed to fester, self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy can lead you to miss out on making important contributions to the open education realm. Using polling software, we’ll assess whether and why we experience impostor syndrome as OER practitioners, discuss ways to combat these mental stumbling blocks, and get through this together!

Presenter:
Katie Beth Ryan