Year End Report
Create | Teach | Research
openpress.trubox.ca
Dear Colleagues…
Reflecting on my experience as the Publishing Manager for the TRU Open Press, I’m proud of the milestones we’ve achieved and the collaborative spirit that has driven our progress. In Spring 2023, I enthusiastically supported Marie Bartlett and Brenna Gray as they spearheaded the submission of their proposal for the TRU Open Press, which was later approved, marking the beginning of an exciting journey to shape the landscape of Open Education.
Transitioning from my previous role as Supervisor of Editing and Copyright in Open Learning, I witnessed the formation of our talented production team, Jessica and Kaitlyn, in October. This marked a crucial step towards realizing our vision of becoming a hub for “open” support. With the addition of co-op student Ananya in January and two more joining in May, our team’s dedication to learning and collaboration has been remarkable.
Assuming the role of Publishing Manager in December 2023, I embraced the opportunity to contribute to the TRU Open Press’s narrative. Guided by the proactive efforts of Marie and Brenna, we’ve expanded our reach and showcased the diverse capabilities of the Press. Regardless of the learning curve, our team’s dedication and support from colleagues have propelled us forward.
As the fiscal year concludes, the impact of our efforts is evident, with multiple projects nearing completion and increased faculty engagement in Open Educational Resources and Open Pedagogy. Looking ahead, I am optimistic about the continued growth and impact of the TRU Open Press, driven by our shared commitment to accessibility and excellence in education.
Dani Collins
Publishing Manager, TRU Open Press
About Us…
Our Team
The very talented Brenna Gray and Marie Bartlett are responsible for envisioning the Open Press project, and we continue to garner insight and inspiration from the two of them daily. Currently, we have one person dedicated to production and one to copy editing and copyright review: the amazing duo, Jessica Obando Almache and Kaitlyn Meyers, respectively. We’ve been lucky enough to hire three co-op students until end of August, 2024: Riley Phillips and Greg Vilac are dedicated to Production and Ananya Kamboj is interviewing faculty and students and creating our project impact evaluation and success stories. Finally, there is myself as Open Publication Manager.
Projects
Most of the support that the Open Press provided was on the open publication focus but we do have a few projects that are explorations of both Open Pedagogy and Open Education Resource (OER) publishing by students. For a full description of our projects, please see the project lists on the Create and Teach pages. The support offered by the Open Press varied and for most new projects, the Open Press offered a consultation and guidance about how to start the project, assisted with setting up the domain (either in Pressbooks or WordPress) and in some cases a consultation about how and where to start. Once content was developed, Our Open Press Production team, Jessica and Kaitlyn, were able to copyedit and work with faculty developers to fine tune the content in the selected platforms.
TRU Open Press has embarked on more than thirty projects thus far, offering comprehensive support across various domains. This includes initial consultations, domain customization using WordPress and Pressbooks, copyediting, title page design, .gif and image creation, video production and editing, voiceover and audio services, content transcription, copyright review, guidance, and training sessions for both faculty and students. These services address diverse publishing and multimedia needs, leveraging the expertise of the Open Press team. Committed to three core aspects of Open Publishing—Create, Teach, and Research—TRU Open Press aims to provide robust support across the academic spectrum.
The TRU Open Press took on 30+ projects during the first year. These projects were predominantly carried over from previous unfinished project initiatives, however, 12 new projects were initiated and some deferred to next fiscal year.
Project Representation in Schools & Faculties
Faculty Contracts
Projects were contracted hourly faculty work. The rest were previously funded by other grants or course release work.
Project Budgets
In addition to faculty hourly contracts, project budgets included funding for research assistant (RA) students, funding for a writing spring, the Open Education Week event for faculty and students, and PSA contracts for professional services. Funding for next year’s projects are capped at $7,500.
Presentations
- Upcoming: OTESSA Conference, Montreal, June 14, 2024, Session 11.3: Unleashing Potential: Exploring Open Education Initiatives with TRU Open Press
- Open Education Week at TRU, March 4-8, 2024
- March 4: Student Street – promotion of Open Ed streaming event on March 6, as well as opportunity for discussion about Open Education publishing and TRU Open Press
- March 6: Live Streaming Open Education Talks via University of Calgary, hosted by OP at the Campus Activity Centre, Mountain Room
- March 13: Course Design and Open Learning Design presentation by Brenna, Marie, and Jessica
- Teaching practices Colloquium, February 20, 2024 – Brenna and Marie gave a talk (Introducing the TRU Open Press) which included a call for submissions for next year.
Students are Integral to Our Success!
Tru Open Press funded two research assistant (RA) students to work on four projects (eight total):
- Introduction to Ethics – Jenna Woodrow
- PASSchem 1500 – Sharon Brewer and Lindsay Blackstock
- Principles of Multimedia in OER – Verena Roberts
- Ethical Educational Leadership
We have also hired 3 Co-op students to assist us with work on TRU Open Press Projects
Project Impact and Assessment Success Stories
Our part-time co-op student, Ananya Kambol, was guided by the expertise of Verena Roberts, Open Learning Instructional Designer and Project Developer at Open Press. Together, they reviewed the impact evaluation criteria and created a plan to interview Faculty project developers who have completed their projects. Determining the OP Project alignment with TRU’s strategic priorities and objectives, as outlined in the Open Press proposal evaluation plan.
Experiential Learning Opportunities
The Open Press provides opportunities for students to develop their skills in a professional context. Research assistant students have been working with the faculty developers to create annotated bibliographies and with the help and guidance of the Open Press, importing and publishing their content onto Pressbooks or WordPress platforms (project domains).
Co-op students are essential to our work. In addition to Ananya, we are hiring two more co-op students this May to help with project productions!
We hope to offer more opportunities for next year’s projects as per faculty developers and in the new ISP Honours College Program.
What’s next?
We eagerly anticipate introducing and showcasing the Open Press and commemorating the triumphant conclusion of our 2023-2024 projects at this year’s OTESSA Conference (in person and online)!
Furthermore, we’re thrilled to receive 22 project proposals ahead of the May 1st submission deadline and continuing our work on two or three projects from last fiscal, which are continuous until Fall 2025, including the Plumbing Apprentice Levels 1 and 2 project and the Enviro Collab project! We hope to explore other opportunities to work with the TRADES faculty to convert other costly resources to free, multimedia-rich, open education resources.
Looking ahead, we’re enthusiastic about exploring the Honours program and other ISP initiatives that align with our unwavering commitment to supporting open. Possible projects include supporting the Arts Cohort and developing a research hub and repository for faculty and students.
Year at a Glance Presentation
(adapted from OEWG presentation, April 10, 2024)