What if the gap between instructor autonomy and institutional consistency didn't have to be a compromise?
This session tells the story of modular OER in action — from framework to failed pitch to campus-wide adoption. Melissa Williams will introduce Minnesota State's mix-and-match model, where discrete learning modules snap together like building blocks, giving instructors creative freedom while preserving shared outcomes. Christine Rickabaugh will then share how she brought this model to a first-year seminar at the University of Arkansas- 160+ sections, one very flat initial pitch, a two-week about face, and an iterative OER creation structure that actually stuck.
They'll show what lives in the space between top-down mandates and every-instructor-for-themselves: a scalable, sustainable, instructor-owned approach to OER that works across platforms and contexts. You'll leave with a transferable framework and the kind of honest, hard-won lessons that only come from doing it together.
Attendees of this session will be able to:- Design modular OER content that supports instructor customization while preserving shared learning outcomes and assessment.
- Identify key components of a governance and maintenance plan for multi-section courses using customizable OER modules.
- Apply strategies for building stakeholder buy-in for modular OER adoption.
- Outline an implementation pathway for adapting the mix-and-match approach to their own institutional context.
