Bearman honored with Open Educator Award

INDIANAPOLIS — Andrea Bearman, director of instructional design and development in Trine University’s College of Graduate and Professional Studies (TrineOnline), was one of 10 faculty members recently named by the Private Academic Library Network of Indiana (PALNI) as recipients of the PALSave Open Educator Award for the 2021-22 academic year.

The award recognizes innovation and excellence in support of higher education, textbook affordability and student success.

“I use open educational resources (OER) because I believe in the benefit for students,” she said. “As faculty, we want content that meets the needs of our students; therefore, we are the perfect people to create textbooks. My hope is to continue to inspire more faculty to consider using existing OER materials, but also to encourage more faculty to develop their own content as well.”

As part of the PALSave: PALNI Affordable Learning Program, these individuals have been key players in the creation and adoption of OER, a move that reduces costs for students, improves access to required texts, and increases student success and retention.

“This year’s Open Educator Award recipients have gone above and beyond to help advance student access, which is what OER is all about,” says Amanda Hurford, PALNI’s Scholarly Communications Director and PALSave project lead. “With every single one of PALNI’s 24 supported institutions participating in PALSave, faculty are making a genuine impact on students’ ability to earn a degree. They have built a community of champions for affordable learning, and we’re excited to see their efforts benefit students now and well into the future.”

Other Open Educator Award honorees were:

• Jonathan Craton, Anderson University
• Jeana Jorgensen, Butler University
• Nipun Chopra, DePauw University
• Lori Watson, Earlham College
• Arbin Thapaliya, Franklin College
• Tim Brooks, Hanover College
• Lori Rumreich, Marian University
• Leah Milne, University of Indianapolis
• Chelsie McCorkle, University of Saint Francis

Last Updated: 08/02/2022