On April 27, the University of Ottawa Library, in collaboration with the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), will host the Francophone OER Summit. Held both onsite and online, this event dedicated to open educational resources (OER) will bring together some 30 practitioners, experts and students from Francophone communities across Canada and Québec.
OER are free and openly accessible learning and teaching resources. They can be custom created, adapted or translated, and are widely available. They are also more equitable for users.
The lack of French-language educational resources and textbooks is an issue that has been highlighted by many at the University of Ottawa , as well as by stakeholders at other Francophone and bilingual post-secondary institutions in Canada . In this context, the creation and adaptation of OER in French can help mitigate this problem.
During the Francophone OER Summit, student leaders, faculty and librarians - all of whom are already involved with OER - will work together to follow up on the national OER strategy drafted in 2022.
The goal of the Francophone OER Summit will be to develop new common statements specific to French-language OER and Francophone realities. These statements will help outline funding requests to the federal government and other appropriate government bodies and funding agencies.
It is worth noting that CARL has made OER and open education a priority since 2018, and that its Open Education Working Group - which includes two uOttawa librarians - was created 2019.
The University of Ottawa has set a goal of developing OER in French as part of Transformation 2030; an objective that is also reflected in the Library's Strategic Plan 2025.
Hosting the Francophone OER Summit will support these goals, as University Librarian and Vice Provost (Knowledge Management) Talia Chung explains:
“The Library is proud to support the production and dissemination of OER in French. The University of Ottawa is committed to promoting its unique Francophone and bilingual character among major research universities, which is why the creation of affordable French-language educational resources remains one of our priorities. It is a privilege to welcome our colleagues from across Canada to discuss this important issue for student success.”
The Francophone OER Summit will take place on April 27, 2023, at the Morisset Library and via Zoom.
1- See Linda Cardinal, A shared responsibility: an action plan for the Francophonie at the University of Ottawa, 2019 and Office of the Vice-President, International and Francophonie, Toward a renewed Francophonie at the University of Ottawa : a shared responsibility – Summary Report, August 2021.
2- See Mariève Forest et Joel Belliveau, Shaping the future of French postsecondary education together, Executive summary of the report of the national dialogue on postsecondary education in a Francophone minority context, Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne and Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, October 2022.