Library and Academic Services is excited to announce the release of an RRC Polytech-created Open Educational Resource (OER)  titled Generative Artificial Intelligence: Practical Uses in Education. Written by Communication Instructor Troy Heaps, this resource is focused on how AI tools can be used in polytechnic education and was produced for educators who wish to find positive and productive ways to incorporate generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools into their work. This includes:

• using AI tools to develop courses, lesson plans, activities, assessments, and rubrics;
• leveraging AI tools to enhance existing in-class activities and assignments;
• teaching students how to engage with AI effectively, ethically, and responsibly;
• utilizing AI tools to efficiently complete administrative tasks.

We hope you will check out this very exciting open resource and also share it with colleagues at RRC Polytech and beyond.

Over 30 RRC Polytech staff members helped with the production of this OER by sharing ideas in focus groups, reviewing, and helping to create examples. Staff and Faculty contributions added an incredible amount of depth and richness to the resource.

At RRC Polytech, faculty and staff have begun using existing OERs to support their teaching and instruction with students. Savings to RRC Polytech students in course material costs from the use of OER has exceeded $678 000 at the start of the 2024 year. These savings to students are made possible by instructors taking the initiative to use OER as part of their course materials as an alternative to course materials students are required to purchase.

Now RRC Polytech faculty and staff are taking supported steps toward creating custom Open Educational Resources for students with funding from RRC Polytech’s Strategic Transformation and Applied Research Fund and the Campus Manitoba & Manitoba Open Education Initiative OER Grant for Manitoba OER adaptation/creation projects. Support for Copyright compliance and sourcing open content is provided for projects by Library and Academic Services (LAS) through the Copyright Officer. The LAS website also provides helpful resources for getting started with OER on the faculty support OER Page.

The release of Generative Artificial Intelligence: Practical Uses in Education follows the 2023 release of Rebecca Molly Hiebert and Emilie Jackson’s, adapted compilation of OE resources College Success for Newcomers. This OER takes the form of an e-book that is designed to provide newcomer students with the skills and strategies they will need to adapt successfully and fully integrate into the Canadian college system.

We hope you will consider using and promoting these resources for teaching and instruction at RRC Polytech and beyond. OERs can benefit multiple departments, schools, and educators as the resources are openly licensed, they can be easily shared without preventative restrictions to instructors who want to use and modify the resources. They can also be shared without cost to students which makes them valuable and effective resources for the college setting.