Open Education Resources (OER) Teaching, learning and research materials in digital or other media that are in the public domain or made available to others under an open license that permits them to be accessed, used, adapted and redistributed by others free of charge, with or without restriction. Although many people think of OER as open textbooks, OER includes a wide range of resources such as videos, images, lesson plans, coding and software, and even entire courses. For a resource to be considered public, it must meet the following criteria:
• Modifiable: The resource must be provided under an open license that allows editing. Ideally, it should also be available in an editable format.
• Public License: Resources must explicitly state that they may be remixed and redistributed by others. Some open licenses may include restrictions on how others can use the resource (see Creative Commons).
• Freely available: Resources should be available online for free.
—Definition modified from Introduction to open educational materialsOpen Education Alberta.
Not long ago, I wrote the following in my 62nd birthday blog post:
…but that’s not true official (And you’ll have to wait until you get an official letter from the university administration, which is expected to happen around the end of March.) The University of Manitoba Libraries has approved my application for a one-year study and study leave (full pay) starting later this year. There I am able to work on special projects away from my regular academic librarian duties. Academic librarians at the University of Manitoba are members of the Faculty Association and have the same rights (and opportunities) to pursue research as professors. More details will be provided later. I’ve only shared this with a few people so far, but I think I can share that much detail at this point.
We are very pleased to announce that it has now happened. official It’s official: I have been officially approved by my employer, the University of Manitoba Libraries, to take a year of research and study leave with full pay to work on a special project.
Can you ask what that special project is? I will quote the application that I approved.
During my research leave, I will be creating a comprehensive Open Education Resource (OER) that addresses important gaps in the academic literature. That is, it will provide a rigorous and pedagogically sound introduction to virtual worlds, social virtual reality, and the metaverse, with a particular focus on applications in higher education. This project builds on my expertise over the past eight years as the author of a popular blog on this topic (https://ryanschultz.com) and as the owner and moderator of an associated Discord server, representing over 700 members actively using various Metaverse platforms. The research phase includes literature review and case study analysis of specific Metaverse platforms. OER consists of several modules, including topics such as: History of the metaverse concept; How the current wave of generative AI will impact the metaverse, and more. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of the field and the need for intensive and intense research and focus, this project requires dedicated research leave. Released under a Creative Commons license, these resources are available to U-M faculty and the global education community, providing a freely adaptable foundation for teaching, learning, and research.
Yes, that’s right, everyone. I’m taking a year off from my full-time academic librarian job to write a book about what I know best, and I’ve been blogging about virtual worlds, social VR, and the metaverse for several years! (It explains a bit about artificial intelligence and generative AI as they apply to that topic.)
My vacation runs from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, and the best part is that since it’s all about the metaverse, I can literally work in: somewhere: At home in Winnipeg, while visiting the rest of the family in Alberta, and on the beaches of Bora Bora (Although Apple Vision Pro may provide a suitable replacement in an emergency, this is highly unlikely!), etc. The only rule is that you must vacate your current office at the university for the person who will replace you while you are away on study leave, which seems quite reasonable to me. However, I will be renting some of the VR/AR equipment I purchased with travel and expense funds from previous years (T&E funds for short, essentially additional funds allocated to faculty and librarians for things like conference travel, books, computers, etc.).
Part of this research work involves social VR, which means moving some of the virtual reality equipment purchased with T&E funds over the past few years from our office in Elizabeth Dafoe to our home. This equipment will be returned to my office at the end of your vacation.
Oh, and I have to promise you that too. i will be back After my vacation, I will be working in the University of Manitoba library. That’s okay, as I plan to stay until I retire at age 65 in January 2029. Of course, this will be the last study leave I take before I retire.
Above all, after the OER is completed, no one It may be used for teaching, learning, and research purposes, including editing. Remix and repurpose (exact rights will depend on the Creative Commons license I choose to publish under).
Watch for updates on this project as we get closer to July 1st. Stay tuned!
Did you like it? Then consider supporting Ryan Schultz on Patreon! For as little as US$1 a month, you can enjoy exclusive sponsor benefits. thank you!
