Kristin Whitman is the Library Director for Oregon Tech’s Portland Metro Campus, and serves as the OER Coordinator for all of Oregon Tech. In her previous role at Idaho State University, she chaired the library’s first OER committee, created the university’s Textbook Hero award program, produced a series of “Textbook Tales” Youtube interviews, and was a primary author of ISU’s textbook affordability plan. At Oregon Tech, Kristin runs the OER library grant program and acts as “point person” for Open Oregon grant-funded projects.
Kristin has an MA in Education, Curriculum and Instruction (MACI) from Boise State University, where she completed her capstone project by developing and delivering OER training sessions to a group of library colleagues. She has an MLIS from Rutgers (New Brunswick, NJ) and a BS in chemistry from The College of William and Mary (Williamsburg, VA).
Kristin’s capstone project was a qualitative research study that explored how disciplinary associations (i.e. scholarly and professional associations) represent tremendous potential to grow the open education movement. Her community resource report covers existing ways that disciplinary associations engage in OER work, and the benefits and challenges of doing so. It proposes best practices for how the open education movement could benefit from engaging with disciplinary associations in the future.