Overview

Who We Are

We are a team of academic professionals spanning Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, representing four institutions and the system office. This team, comprised of instructional designers, faculty members, and a librarian, self-selected to participate in this workgroup to explore the possibilities of Microsoft’s Copilot.

Project Background

The original goal of the project was to overcome common barriers to OER adoption—such as time constraints, quality concerns, limited technical skills, and the need for personalization—by creating high-quality, modular course components that instructors could easily adapt and combine.

As the project progressed, its focus evolved. It now aims to support educators who are unfamiliar with or skeptical of using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance teaching. This resource, presented as a Pressbook, begins with a user survey to assess comfort levels with AI. It then introduces various ways AI can support curriculum development, structured around UNESCO’s OER Recommendation. This framework highlights four key perspectives for applying AI in education:

• Professional
• Ethical
• Sustainable
• Equitable

The purpose of this resource is to guide educators in using AI to create effective learning activities, while also addressing concerns about its role in educational content development.

Research Project

Evaluation Question

Does access to an AI guide increase the likelihood of OER users to adopt, adapt, and create AI-supported OER?

Project Timeline