AUM to host ACHE 2025 Open Educational Resources Workshop

Auburn University of Montgomery (AUM) has been selected as a host institution for one of the Alabama Commission on Higher Education’s (ACHE) 2025 Open Educational Resources (OER) workshops in September.

In partnership with Trenholm State Community College, AUM will host the workshop from 8 a.m. -3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12 in Taylor Center 230. The event is free and open to faculty and staff at Alabama colleges and universities, including AUM. Register online now.

The free workshops — also scheduled for Sep. 11 at the University of South Alabama — are part of ACHE’s broader statewide initiative to reduce textbook costs, improve access to course materials, and support student success.

“We’re excited to serve as a host institution for this workshop and bring together both in-state leaders and nationally recognized experts,” said AUM Library Dean Phill Johnson. “Attendees will gain practical tools and resources to support the adoption and implementation of OER across Alabama’s higher education institutions.”

Funded by ACHE, AUM’s Open Educational Resources workshop will feature the following speakers:

• Joshua Hill – Instructional Designer, Center for Innovative Teaching and Technology, Hillsborough College. Hill is a pioneer in AI-supported OER creation and founder of the Zero Textbook Cost Initiative. He also developed Florida’s only self-hosted Pressbooks platform.
• Jennifer Pate – Director of OpenEd, Texas A&M Libraries. Pate leads textbook equity and OER efforts across the Texas A&M system and is a Founding Fellow with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s OER Fellowship program.
• Nakita Afaha – Program Manager, Affordable Learning Georgia, University System of Georgia. Afaha brings extensive experience in OER development, eLearning instructional design, and student success initiatives.
• Rebel Cummings-Sauls – Director of Digital Services and OER, Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative. With over a decade in higher education, she has held leadership roles at Kansas State University and the University of South Florida.
• Charlotte Ford – Library Director, University of Montevallo. Ford is a passionate advocate for Open Access. With 35 years of experience as a librarian, she has consistently championed free and equitable access to information, particularly in response to the rising costs of journals, database subscriptions, and textbooks.

The workshop also offers professionals the opportunity to connect with peers from across the state who are advancing OER initiatives at Alabama’s colleges and universities.

“We look forward to working together to expand access to high-quality, affordable education in Alabama,” Johnson said. “We hope attendees will leave the workshop with actionable strategies and valuable connections.”