User

It was $3$ p$.$m$.$ on Tuesday, March $17,2020,$ and Kim Carter, Professor in the School of Business at Conestoga College, panicked. Carter was the project lead for a multi$-$institutional collaboration project called Medical Terminology Open Educational Resources $($MT OER$).$ She had just received communication that the college was closed until further notice. On the same day, Marie Rutherford, a collaborating partner from Georgian College, called to ask, $$has the project been pulled, and what are we going to do$?$ All in$-$person events at both colleges were cancelled due to concerns and unknowns over the contagious COVID$-19$ virus that had resulted in a global pandemic. The MT OER collaboration project was two weeks into phase $3,$ which involved multiple faculty subject matter experts $($SMEs$)$ adapting chapter content to prepare for the launch of phase $4,$ a two$-$day sprint $($see Exhibit $1$ MT OER Collaboration Project Plan and Schedule$).$ The phase $4$ sprint, an iterative agile approach to completing tasks, was critical in completing the project in time for publication in August $2020.$ Phase $3$ was in jeopardy since all faculty SMEs were pivoting their work to accommodate remote learning requirements until the college re$-$opened. All phases of the project had to be completed on time to meet project timelines and to allow integration of the MT OER in Fall $2020$ courses. Carter exclaimed, $$All the work to get to this point, and now we may not be able to complete the project. What will I do for a textbook this fall? I don$$t have one for the health care terminology course.$$

The project$$s key deliverables were open educational resources $($OER$)$ that encompassed a $20-$chapter openly licensed digital textbook, interactive learning objects, and accompanying ancillary resources to be published in time for Fall $2020$ delivery. Carter needed to re$-$evaluate whether the key deliverables could still be met and adjust the project plan based on situational factors.A key component of the phase $4$ development was the in$-$person sprint, which was critical to the MT OER being published on time. The in$-$person sprint was scheduled for April $29$ and $30,2020,$ at Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning $($ITAL$)$ in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Since in$-$person events were no longer allowed, Carter and Rutherford had to re$-$evaluate the situation, including the project plan, to determine if$,$ and how, this project could be completed in time for faculty to have the resources in early August. An early August delivery ensured time for course preparation so that learners had the resources on the first day of classes in September of $2020.$ Carter needed to re$-$evaluate whether the key deliverables could still be met and adjust the project plan based on situational factors.

Background

Conestoga College has campuses in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Guelph, Brantford, Stratford, and Ingersoll, Ontario. The college has over $20,000$ students and a variety of programs that suit a diverse study body including degree, diploma, and certification programs.$[1]$ Conestoga College School of Business is student$-$centric and prioritizes the use of OER materials in its programs because OER are free to use, so they reduce financial barriers for students.

Carter was the curriculum guide and the faculty member responsible for designing the curriculum and choosing resources for healthcare terminology in the health office administration diploma program in the business school at Conestoga College. Curriculum guides at Conestoga played a key role within their programs, as they were responsible for course development and ensuring courses contained all required materials in preparation for the coming term. Carter became interested in developing OER for her courses after learning about the social justice implications for students who could not afford the high cost of commercial textbooks.$[2]$ Students who cannot purchase textbooks are disadvantaged. Without access to the textbook information, they can fall behind or drop out of the courses, and the associated program. Health office administration textbooks are expensive as this program of study combines business and health, often requiring faculty to customize resources to suit course delivery. OER could be customized for courses, be made available to students at no cost$,$ and are digital by design. These benefits matched Carter$$s values of equitable and affordable education for students. Carter embarked upon a quest to learn more about publishing platforms and open licenses, and to find like$-$minded faculty to assist her. A collaborator was found in Rutherford, a colleague from Georgian College, College of Applied Arts and Technology $($CAAT$).$ After some discussion and excitement at the annual Technology Enabled Seminar and Showcase $($TESS$)$ conference in November $2019,$ the multi$-$institutional collaboration project was formed. Carter and Rutherford left the meeting armed with a plan to advocate at their respective in