Stephen Burke
Talia Lipton
I am a full time faculty member in the Speech/Communication Studies Department at Rockland Community College. My passion to use and promote Open Education Resources on campus developed as a result of a combination of events including participating in the Tools of Engagement Project (TOEP), completing an OER course online through the Center for Professional Development, and becoming more aware of the needs and challenges of many of my students.
I converted my Fundamentals of Communication General Education Classes (SPE 101) to OER by finding and adopting open textbooks and other materials. Student success and their appreciation (of easy access and financial savings) encouraged me to convert other courses to OER.
The Open Educational Resources Committee at Rockland Community College is dedicated to supporting those faculty who are interested in exploring the adoption of OER’s in their courses.
Having resources that match each unique curriculum, are available to our students immediately for low-no cost and are available in a variety of mediums is the current evolution in higher education.
Please feel free to reach out to me and schedule a time to ask questions, explore and discuss the way that using Open Educational Resources can be beneficial for you and your students.
(845) 574-4231
Matt Matcovich
Kate Erwin
I am a librarian and instructor at Rockland Community College, and I am delighted to be a part of the Open Educational Resources Committee at RCC. I look forward to working with faculty to discover and implement OER in their disciplines. Please feel free to reach out to me for help in finding high quality OER and for assistance with copyright questions. For more information on OER, see the Information pages included here and my RCC Library Research Guide OER — Open Educational Resources.
Content from Lumen (use as model and then erase)
Alyson Day—Mathematics
I came to Lumen Learning almost two years ago from Washington State University where I had a dual role as a mathematics instructor and director of the drop-in tutoring center for math and science. I taught Algebra, Precalculus/ College Algebra, Linear Algebra, Finite Math, and Calculus.
At Lumen I provide support for faculty in the following areas: mathematics content sourcing/ customization, MyOpenMath, integration of MyOpenMath in the LMS. I also act, when needed, as a subject matter expert in developing and curating OER for mathematics.
I am excited to be part of the development of mathematics curriculum for higher education right now. I feel that there has been a stagnation in the way math has been taught, and in the last 10–15 years, there are a lot of amazing teachers and institutions who are creatively rethinking how we teach and learn mathematics. I believe that changing attitudes about math is going to require systemic change in the way we teach the subject.
Vallerie Mott—Natural Sciences
I’ve been at Lumen for just over two years, and my primary focus in on our natural sciences materials. I support faculty as they search for OER, pointing them toward high quality resources and helping them curate their materials in our platform. I am also quite familiar with MyOpenMath, which currently serves as a host for open algorithmic Chemistry and Physics questions.
I’m looking forward to working with faculty and subject matter experts in as we further develop and discover OER in the sciences.
Wendy King—Social Sciences
I am a former high school social studies teacher with a passion for curriculum development and design. After leaving the brick and mortar classroom, I taught in an online high school, where I first learned about OER. I wrote and taught several OER based classes and became familiar with Moodle and Canvas.
I’ve been working at Lumen just over two years, and focus primarily on developing and supporting social studies courses, including psychology and sociology. I loves staying up to speed on the newest Open Educational Resources and believe strongly that education should be affordable for everyone.
Alexis Clifton—English and Communication
I’ve been teaching English composition, literature, and creative writing, and business writing in higher ed since 2000, with a particular focus on online course design and delivery. Pairing OER and English composition seemed a natural fit while I was a faculty member at Tacoma Community College. After several OER course developments locally and statewide, I collaborated the Kaleidoscope Open Course development project for Composition II.
Since coming to work for Lumen almost two years ago, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to help faculty nationwide advance their students’ success. I love the ability OER gives faculty to take control over their curriculum, and ways it makes our students’ lives easier. I appreciate the variety of thoughtfulness around the meaningful adoption of OER.
Heather Angell—Business
I joined the Lumen team as a course designer after working for many years as a literary editor. I’ve worked on a range of Lumen courses—in everything from literature and art history to economics, marketing, and business. Whatever the subject, the best part of bringing these courses to life is the collaborative work with faculty that goes on behind the scenes. I look forward to partnering with you in your upcoming OER adventures!
