In this paper we present a history of the idea of Open Educational Resources, overview the current state of the Open Educational Resources movement, report on critical issues facing the field in the immediate future, and present two new projects to watch in 2009.

Distance education in its many forms had been around for decades, but the Western Governors University (WGU) was arguably the first "virtual university" (VU) in the United States, or at least the first VU that gained widespread attention from the press and public. After the governors in the Western Governors Association announced they would create…

This article traces the development of the OpenCourseWare movement, including the origin of the concept at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the implementation of the MIT OpenCourseWare project, and the idea's spread into the global educational community, ultimately resulting in the formation of the OpenCourseWare Consortium. The…

People do not want to know the history, minutiae of policy, or operations, or even the political intrigues of a virtual consortium. People want to know if the consortium has value, whether it can help them, and if it is a threat. In this article, the author focuses on the operating principles and policies that have proven successful in the…

A collaborative team of faculty from The University of Akron (UA) in Akron, Ohio, and Kent State University (KSU) in Kent, Ohio, were awarded a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education to develop a specialty area in the graduate speech-language pathology (SLP) programs of UA and KSU that would train a total of 32 SLP students (trainees)…

The research's purpose was to examine how exemplary community college study abroad programs assisted student participants in acquiring global competence. Three research questions were explored: (1) What issues need to be anticipated when planning a study abroad program for community college students in order to effectively incorporate…

Creating programs and curricular offerings that are standards-based is a worthwhile goal that can best be achieved by using the many and varied resources available to educators and others. This article describes several such resources, including the ITEA Annual Conference, ITEA-CATTS Standards Specialists, ITEA-CATTS Engineering byDesign[TM]…

This article describes the Child Development Associate Consortium's Credential Award System, its development, and the steps to be taken by an interested individual who wants to obtain a CDA Credential. (SB)

Phase II of the National Forum on Industrial Arts which includes purpose, method, participants, suggested regional format, and possible impact is discussed. (GR)

Prepared specifically for the Planning Committee, the Board of Trustees and the administration and staff of the James Jerome Hill Reference Library, this report reiterates statements and suggestions made in previous reports, but the restatement places emphasis on the sharpening of the Trustees' understanding of the program's objectives. Topics…

This chapter recounts Oregon community colleges' challenges and successes in developing a statewide distance learning consortium.

This report examines consortia leadership factors in institutions of higher education (IHE) responding to a New York State Department of Education mandate for performance based teacher education (PBTE). To assess the effect of leadership on program registration, the following questions were investigated: (1) the nature of leadership within and…

This is the final report on the project to design new patterns for training research and development (R&D) personnel in education; the project was conducted by a consortium of educational agencies coordinated throught the Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh. The report is bound in eight sections: goals and activities…

Discusses the development of the National Center for Developmental Education (NCDE), from its conception as a regional consortium to its expansion as a national resource center. Describes the NCDE's mission of teaching, service, and research. Reviews the Kellogg Institute, providing advanced training for experienced developmental educators, and…

Describes genesis of New York Metropolitan Reference and Research Library Agency (METRO) and the interlibrary services it offers. Laws and grants, cooperative acquisitions, continuing education for library staff, and suggestions for planning cooperatives (include all types of libraries, develop effective patterns of communication, develop shared…