The Open Educational Resources Collective, a Council of Australian University Librarians (CAUL) initiative, has demonstrated exceptional commitment to fostering collaborative open practices within the academic community of Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. Beginning as a successful two-year pilot from 2022-2023, the CAUL OER Collective evolved into a vital service under the CAUL Open Educational Resources Strategic Enabling Program through to 2025.
With a membership of almost 90% of CAUL member Australian universities and 100% of New Zealand universities, the Collective has succeeded in publishing 37 open textbooks with over 80 in progress.
The Collective’s primary mission is to build infrastructure and capacity to advance the OER agenda nationally and beyond. It facilitates the collaborative authoring and publishing of open textbooks, prioritising disciplines where local and indigenous content can enrich learning materials. By providing a shared publishing platform, CAUL Member institutions not only publish their own textbooks but also engage in cross-institutional collaborations, thereby fostering a robust community of practice centred on open textbook development.
Five multi-institutional collaborative open textbooks were completed during the pilot period and have been viewed a total of 25,410 times, downloaded 3,889 times and appear in catalogues globally. Legal Research Skills: An Australian Law Guide (2023 edition) is the most popular of these titles, regularly topping the charts as most viewed on the CAUL OER Collective catalogue. An additional 11+ multi-institutional and multinational collaborative open textbook student-centred projects are currently in progress.
The Collective’s inclusive approach accommodates institutions at varying stages of OER adoption, ensuring that each member can contribute and benefit from shared resources and expertise. This initiative exemplifies the spirit of open collaboration by leveraging CAUL’s network to promote knowledge sharing and joint project ventures across diverse academic backgrounds and cultures. Through technologically mediated platforms and supportive frameworks, the CAUL OER Collective creates an environment where innovation thrives, and collective goals are achieved collaboratively.
One Collective member stated, “I’d really like to say thank you to CAUL and to the university library partners for making these open educational resources opportunities available to us and to colleagues and learners of all kinds all over the world. The opportunity to maintain a social justice-oriented platform and system that is truly global, truly available to everyone is actually becoming increasingly rare even though we are promoting open access as heavily as we can.”
To accelerate the progress of the initiative, the Collective has awarded $92,500 in grant funding to 33 projects motivating the community. Additionally, themed monthly webinars provide regular opportunities to unite members and develop a community of practice where they showcase their work, learn and connect with like-minded professionals.
Receiving this award would advance the OER agenda nationally by lending international credibility to the Collective and allow us to celebrate its dedication to open practices and fostering a more inclusive academic landscape.
Award NominatorThe CAUL Open Educational Resources Collective has very quickly grown into an effective, prestigious, and welcoming community of practice. Its founders and leaders have created significant change in the open education landscape in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. They leverage their community resources to highlight the ability of OER to be tailored to local contexts. This is an excellent example of collaboration with elements that may be relevant in other regions.
Award Reviewer
