Fitchburg State University faculty member J.J. Sylvia IV was recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education this month for his commitment to open educational resources.
Sylvia, an associate professor in the university’s Communications Media Department, received the Gold Award from the Open Educational Resources (OER) Advisory Council on May 19.
“I am honored and humbled by this recognition,” Sylvia said. “I truly appreciate all of the support we've had on campus for OER, especially from Connie Strittmatter and Jackie Kremer of the Amelia V. Gallucci-Cirio Library, and I am thrilled to follow in the footsteps of Professor Kisha Tracy and her fantastic work in OER.”
Sylvia has so far authored two books in the OER series: Introduction to Communication and Media Studies, and The Data Renaissance: Analyzing the Disciplinary Effects of Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and Beyond. Each is available to be downloaded and shared at no cost.
With other faculty from Fitchburg State and other public institutions, Sylvia has embraced the Department of Higher Education’s OER ambitions.
“I’m incredibly proud of Professor Sylvia and the recognition he’s earned for advancing open educational resources,” said Fitchburg State University President Donna Hodge. “This award not only honors his innovative scholarship, but also reflects the shared commitment of our faculty and librarians to access, equity, and educational justice. At Fitchburg State, we believe learning should be open and opportunity should be real—and our leadership in OER is helping make that vision a reality.”
Sylvia’s work with OER includes leading an on-campus Community of Practice that explored OER and artificial intelligence (AI), and he was also awarded a Fellowship through the University of Virginia for OER and AI resource curation. Along with fellow faculty member Danielle Wigmore of the Exercise and Sports Science Department, he presented on the topic at the AAC&U Digital Innovation Forum in Puerto Rico in April.
The OER volumes were published through the state’s Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens (ROTEL) project, which promotes textbook affordability, student success, and inclusion and equity to benefit all students, particularly those from minoritized populations. The project provided stipends for faculty to remix and/or develop accessible, intentionally inclusive open textbooks that reflect students’ local and lived experiences.
The ROTEL project has supported the production of 27 books across six institutions, 10 of which were published by Fitchburg State faculty.
To learn more about the project, or to download any of the volumes for free, visit rotel.pressbooks.pub.