Digital Higher Education in Texas: A Meta-Analysis of Data and Research

Released in June 2020, this paper

• gives an overview and analysis of national data and research available on digital higher education;
• examines existing sources of data and research focused on Texas, suggesting which categories may be missing from the body of state data and research; and
• suggests directions for future research in order to gain a more comprehensive picture of the state of digital higher education in Texas.

The meta-analysis supports the need for a study of the state of digital education in Texas, building on data collected by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and research conducted by its Learning Technology Advisory Council.

Additionally, relevant topics related to digital higher education for future study include:

• Online Program Design
• Equity
• Impact and Outcomes

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Advancing an Ecosystem for Open Educational Resources

In 2019, DigiTex began partnering with the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to conduct a biennial survey on OER programs, policies, and practices at postsecondary institutions across the state. The second survey, conducted in 2021, informed our most recent report, Advancing an Ecosystem for Open Educational Resources. With 111 colleges and universities responding, analyses of the survey data — and a comparison to data from Open Educational Resources (OER) in Texas Higher Education (2019)  — reveal an ever-expanding OER landscape in Texas and help inform future statewide activities to support Open Education.

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OERigin Stories: Pathways to the Open Movement

Featured as a part of Open Education Week 2022, OERigin Stories: Pathways to the Open Movement explores the history of six women of color working in the Open Education movement. Ursula Pike, DigiTex Associate Director, created the project as part of SPARC’s Open Education Leadership Program.

For the history of the project, please read Ursula’s post on the DigiTex blog, Creating My First OER. Ursula has also created a video overview of the project, which can be accessed here.

Best Practices Case Studies

In February 2021, we began a new series of case studies, Best Practices in Texas Digital Higher Education. The first study in this series, “Harnessing Course Sharing for Student Success: Howard College & Western Texas College,” highlights the innovative, collaborative, and visionary work of these institutions to engage course sharing to provide their students, and students across the state and nation, an education without boundaries to support their access and success. Both colleges serve as exemplary practitioners of digital higher education in Texas.

We are excited to announce the publication of the second case study in the series, “Creating and Adopting Open Educational Resources at Colleges and Universities Across the State.” This new resource showcases three excellent examples of OER usage across the state of Texas including two different textbook projects, one individually authored and one produced through group collaboration, and a new medical program that is incorporating OER into its curriculum from the ground up. As you seek to promote and adopt OER at your own institution, we hope that you will find this resource useful.

Download both studies by clicking on the buttons to the right.

Case Study #1

Case Study #2