Acknowledgments
Making Ripples: A Guidebook to Challenge Status Quo in OER Creation was produced by the Rebus Community, an initiative of The Rebus Foundation.
Rebus Community is a non-profit organization that helps educational institutions build human capacity in OER publishing through professional development. Through our work at Rebus Community, we aim to cultivate an emerging generation of OER leaders, increase the representation of many academic perspectives, and prioritize student learning and experience in order to increase equity in education. We think an engaged community is the most powerful tool in open education, and we’ve witnessed the impact of bringing creators together under a common framework of support.
Rebus Community is supported by generous funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a leader in philanthropic support for education, environment, and global development. We are deeply thankful for The Hewlett Foundation’s support in our work and vision.
What you are about to read is a work in progress, and only a small synthesis of some equitable practices in OER creation. It is unmistakably not the creation of a single person, but rather a collection of stories and insights from my experience in open education. Who is cited and quoted in this guide has been chosen with great care and thought. Many thanks to all participants, facilitators, and partners in the Textbook Success Program cohorts in Louisiana (in the Interactive OER for Dual Enrollment project) and Massachusetts (via the Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens grant), whose contributions, ideas, and insights shaped and inspired this Guide.
My own experiences have undoubtedly influenced how I see the world, therefore this positionality statement is an effort on my part to recognize my own prejudices and work to overcome them. I am a white, disabled and chronically ill settler of French and German heritage living on Treaty 1 Territory, in Win-nipi (Winnipeg, Manitoba). The electricity I used to read, write, and connect with on this guide comes from Treaty 5 in Northern Manitoba. The water that nourishes me comes from Treaty 3 Territory in Northwestern Ontario. I am deeply grateful for the privilege to live on these beautiful lands, surrounded by diverse nations and cultures.
To my incredible partner, family, friends, and colleagues for their patience, encouragement, and guidance: thank you dearly. I am shaped by every place I’ve lived, my upbringing, my family and friends, all of which have instilled in me values such as community, compassion, and reciprocity. My hope is that this guide continues to grow, incorporating more voices, perspectives, and strategies for action. The chance to take part in a project like this is a testimony to the work that disruptors from previous, present, and future generations have done and are still doing.
-Kaitlin Schilling
