The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission recently presented Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College’s Curtis Hakala with the Educator Award for his work providing students with open educational resources.
Five years ago saw the launch of Open Learning WV, a program that aims to help college students in West Virginia save money on course materials. Since adopting the idea of Open Educational Resources (or OER), Open Learning WV has helped students in the state save around $10 million. OER are low cost or free instructional materials meant to replace more traditional, and more costly textbooks. The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission has been the leader of this state wide initiative, and continues to provide students with accessibility and affordable materials, while innovating across West Virginia’s higher education institutions.
At a recent statewide OER meeting, Curtis Hakala, who serves as an online academic advisor and faculty member at Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College was presented with the Educator Award. Hakala has worked for Eastern for more than a decade and a half across both administrative and faculty roles. In that time he has worked to expand the use of OER across departments, programs, and classes, with the goal of reducing textbook costs and improving access to educational materials for students.
In an article posted on Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College’s website, a colleague mentioned that the work Curtis does is more than just looking to offer free course materials. He also works to adapt and curate OER materials to make sure that the materials students do have access to are high quality, and available as soon as class begins.
The vice president of Eastern, Monocle Wilson, was quoted about Curtis’ efforts, saying, “This award highlights Curtis’ collaborative leadership—how he supports faculty, shares best practices, and encourages others to rethink how course materials can improve equity and opportunity for students. We are thankful to have Curtis on our staff here at Eastern West Virginia Community & Technical College.”
West Virginia’s Chancellor of Higher Education, Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, also spoke highly of Hakala, saying, “The success of our statewide OER program is thanks to the dedication of faculty members like Curtis. These savings represent real impact for thousands of West Virginia students who might otherwise struggle to afford their course materials. We’re incredibly proud of the faculty and institutions leading this work, and we’re excited to keep building on this progress.”
More information about Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College can be found at the school’s website.