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Brian Barrick

United States

Brian Barrick is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Los Angeles Harbor College, where he focuses on American government and global politics. He is also the founder of OpenAudio, which enhances open educational resources (OER) through the development of high-quality audiobooks. His interest in supporting first-generation and low-income students led him to adopt OER in Spring 2020.

In Fall 2022, he received a grant from CC-ECHO (California Consortium for Equitable Change in Hispanic Serving Institutions Open Educational Resources) to produce a full-length professional audiobook of the OpenStax American Government 3e textbook. This free audio resource, available on YouTube and podcast platforms, has been adopted by students and educators across the country. The project was recognized as a finalist in the Significant Impact OER category for the 2023 OE Awards for Excellence.

He was subsequently awarded additional grants from CC-ECHO and the Los Angeles Harbor College Foundation to produce audiobook versions of Introduction to Sociology, U.S. History, and World History, Volume 1 (to 1500) using advanced artificial intelligence voice models. To date, these projects have been streamed nearly half a million times, amassing more than 15 years of cumulative listening time on YouTube and Spotify. They have proven especially valuable for students with disabilities and for learners who prefer a multi-modal approach to reading while listening. In 2024, his OpenAudio efforts were recognized with an OE Award for Excellence in the “Open with Artificial Intelligence” category.

He continues to explore the connections between artificial intelligence, OER, course design, and accessibility, and serves as a member of the Los Angeles Community College District’s Artificial Intelligence Taskforce.

OEAwards Activity