Nikki Rech is an instructional and research librarian and liaison to the College of Science and Mathematics at Georgia Southern University. In this role, she works to integrate information literacy skills into campus life through instruction and outreach programs. Nikki is also the university’s Library Coordinator for Georgia’s statewide Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG) initiative where she coordinates efforts to help faculty with the adoption, creation, and use of Open Educational Resources, as well as other alternatives for affordable learning.
OER Leadership Portfolio
Nikki participated in the 2019-2020 cohort of the SPARC Open Educational Leadership Program. While in the program, her goals were to develop visibility for OER and encourage ongoing conversation amongst faculty, students, and administration.
Nikki’s Capstone project, Introduction to Open Educational Resources (OER) — Exploring a New World of Course Offerings is a five-week online course integrated into Brightspace (D2L) and designed to allow faculty to learn and explore OER as an option for their courses. Each module offers opportunities for faculty to engage in learning materials, reflections, and hands-on activities to guide them in their learning process. The design of these modules, resources used, as well as a brief video detailing Open Access & OER are provided in a set of Community Resources. These resources have all been designed to specifically support Georgia Southern’s newly integrated Strategic Pillars of Success. It is hoped that others can not only use the resources as is, but also gain some inspiration on how to tailor resources to the specifics of their own institution in a way that is impactful.
During her time in the SPARC Open Educational Leadership Program, Nikki engaged in outreach, team building, and advocacy at the campus, state, and regional levels. She looks forward to continuing her growth and leadership journey in the world of Open Education.