Office Hours: The Invisible Labour of OER
Channel: Rebus Community
Date: 30/04/2019

The special guests at this month's session of the Rebus Community and Open Textbook Network Office Hours were  Ali Versluis (Open Education Resources Librarian, University of Guelph), Monica Brown (OER Coordinator, eCampus Center - Extended Studies, Boise State University), Esperanza Zenon (Physical Science Instructor, River Parishes Community College), and Melissa Ashman (Instructor & Interim Department Chair, Applied Communications, School of Business, Kwantlen Polytechnic University).

OER work is hard work—and valuable work—but it is too often undervalued, under-compensated, and hidden from sight. The notion of doing OER “stuff” on the side, in addition to a heavy load of formal duties, is all too familiar, and the emotional investment from many of us is considerable. Much of the movement’s progress has been driven by the passion and commitment of people willing to go the extra mile, but what is the impact of this reliance on invisible and unpaid labour? How does it affect our ability to build a more inclusive and equitable open education framework in the long term? How does it limit participation? What are the implications for sustainability in the ecosystem, including establishing business models? And how might we commit to moving forward with more recognition and value of the labour invested in OER development?

The audio and chat transcripts of this session is available on the Rebus Community website: https://about.rebus.community/2019/04/29/april-office-hours-defining-the-invisible-labour-of-oer-audio-and-chat-transcripts/

Looking for resources shared during the call, or want to tell us your own thoughts about invisible labour in OER? Head over to the Rebus Community platform: https://www.rebus.community/t/office-hours-the-invisible-labour-of-oer-25-april-2019-2pm-est-6pm-utc/1221