OSW2021: Access, Equity and Pedagogy: An International Conversation on Open Practice - NUI Galway

Access, Equity, and Pedagogy: An International Conversation on Open Practice in Higher Education

In this discussion, our international panelists examined access, equity and pedagogy in a variety of higher education contexts.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has served to highlight inequities in our systems, the panel  discussed the significant opportunities, and challenges, for open practice in our global higher education community post-COVID.

The panelists

• Catherine Cronin (NFETL)
• Stacy Katz (CUNY Lehman)
• Robin DeRosa (Plymouth State University)
• Sukaina Walji (University of Cape Town)
• Panel chair: Kate Molloy (NUI Galway)

Catherine Cronin is Strategic Education Developer at Ireland’s National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education where her work focuses on critical approaches to digital and open education, spanning practice and policy. Involved in teaching, research and advocacy in higher education and in the community for over 30 years, Catherine is a regular contributor to conversations and collaborative projects in the area of open education, within Ireland and globally. You can find Catherine at @catherinecronin and catherinecronin.net.

Robin DeRosa is the director of the Open Learning & Teaching Collaborative at Plymouth State University, where she was originally an English professor, and later chair of the Interdisciplinary Studies program. Robin is a national advocate for public higher education, and works with colleges and universities on designing institutional initiatives and structures centered on learners and their needs. You can read more about Robin at her website or follow her on Twitter.

Stacy Katz is Assistant Professor and Open Resources Librarian-STEM Liaison at Lehman College, CUNY. She initiated, developed, and oversees the Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative for the college. Stacy’s research to date has focused on OER, particularly how librarians develop and support OER initiatives, faculty professional development in OER, and student views on open education and open pedagogy. Stacy is a 2018-2019 OER Research Fellow and 2019 Institute for Research Design in Librarianship Scholar. Her research appears in peer-reviewed journals such as Open Praxis, Journal for Multicultural Education, and the New Review of Academic Librarianship. Stacy’s website is https://stacykatz.commons.gc.cuny.edu

Sukaina Walji is Acting Director at the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching at the University of Cape Town. She oversees operational functions for online and blended learning and provides strategic advice for digitally enhanced learning, teaching and assessment. Her research interests include online learning design, MOOCs, Open Educational Practices and Unbundling Higher Education. You can follow Sukaina on Twitter.

Panel Chair: Kate Molloy is a Learning Technologist with the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching at the National University of Ireland, Galway. She is currently working as NUI Galway project lead on the Irish Universities Association Enhancing Digital Teaching and Learning project. As a teacher, she became interested in critical pedagogy, inclusivity, and the use of technology. In 2015, she moved into higher education where she supports staff teaching with technology. Her work focuses on the informed and ethical use of technology in higher education, learning design, and open practice. Kate is Secretary, National Executive of the Computers in Education Society of Ireland.