Community for Open Wisconsin
Purpose
The Community for Open Wisconsin (COW) is dedicated to helping learners accomplish their educational goals while minimizing their cost burdens. We do this by supporting the strategic and cooperative design of open education initiatives across all levels of education in Wisconsin and by advocating for equitable access to high-quality open educational resources (OER) or other low-cost alternatives.
The Community for Open Wisconsin envisions a future in which:
- In support of the Wisconsin Idea, learners of all ages have access to quality, cost-effective educational resources as well as training and guidance in the use, advocacy, and efficacy of open and affordable content.
- Institutions, instructors, students, and the public can effectively collect, find, and use high-quality openly licensed educational materials via accessible infrastructure, tools, and resources.
- Barriers to equitable access to education and educational resources are reduced or removed.
- All Wisconsin participants in open education can freely share ideas, collaborate on best practices, and build awareness of the availability of open educational resources.
- The value of open and affordable resources is clear to stakeholders and participants including state government and K-20 educational institutions via education, collaboration, and consistent, cohesive policies.
Membership
COW is open to all educators, librarians, and open education advocates in Wisconsin and we welcome participation from academic, K12, public libraries, industry, and adjacent educational partners.
Two all-member meetings are held annually, in a virtual format, to share updates, encourage collaboration, and provide guidance related to open education in Wisconsin. Meetings are held in November and April of each year and will be communicated in the COW listserv. The listserv also serves a platform for communicating open education activities to Wisconsin stakeholders.
Membership is free! Sign-up to receive meeting invitations, updates, and access to the COW listserv.
Current Leadership
The Community for Open Wisconsin is currently facilitated by Vince Mussehl, Chippewa Valley Technical College, and Robert Butterfield, University of Wisconsin – Stout, with support from Andi Coffin, WiLS.
Participation
COW is open to all types of libraries in Wisconsin and we welcome participation from academic, K12, and public libraries and adjacent educational organizations.
More About Open Educational Resources
For more information about open educational resources, visit the UNESCO website.
For research surrounding open education, visit the bibliography compiled by Chippewa Valley Technical College.