Fort Lewis College (FLC) and the University of Colorado (CU) Anschutz Medical Campus College of Nursing have established a collaborative program offering a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. This partnership enables FLC students to complete their nursing education entirely on the FLC campus. Nursing education is notorious for high textbook costs, so FLC and CU have partnered to develop a Z-degree for undergraduate nursing students. This presentation will outline the process and strategies we implemented in our first year and how that helped us determine what was needed for future years. We will highlight key steps towards going from a program with textbook costs in every class to a Z-degree pathway. Additionally, we will discuss the challenges encountered and lessons learned from our first year of implementation.
This discussion brings together faculty who have created and maintained OER faculty learning communities (FLCs) at MSU Denver, providing faculty-based OER development through community-engaged learning practices. During this conversation, the panelists will share insights on creating and maintaining buy-in with diverse faculty and how six years of FLCs have contributed to the OER culture at MSU Denver. They will also speak about strategies and tactics for sharing OER best practices with colleagues from all levels of instruction. Emily Ragan will highlight creating, leading, and co-facilitating a university-wide OER FLC. Brian Healy will reflect on co-facilitating the university-wide OER FLC and leading a Communication Studies Department OER FLC, and Jonathan Dyhr will discuss the Biology Department OER FLC. We will discuss how our experiences with the OER FLCs were leveraged to develop an online OER training available to faculty at MSU Denver and beyond through MSU Denver Innovative and Lifelong Learning.
Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Excited about reimagining effective education. Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and OER Coordinator at Metropolitan State University of Denver
Want to meet new colleagues in OER around Colorado? Come speednetwork! Bring your business cards, if you have them. Participants will be split in equal groups and spend 5 minutes getting to know each other.
Imagine a college degree with zero textbook costs. At Aims Community College, we're making that a reality! Join our team of open education champions as we share how Aims built our program from the ground up. We'll discuss the hurdles we overcame and the innovative strategies we employed, culminating in thelaunch of our Associate of Arts Zero-Cost degree in Fall 2026. Discover how we're making education more accessible and affordable.
