Appendix F: Membership and Volunteer Service Work
Membership in a PhD cohort or volunteer organization can influence the achievements in a Phd program, yet a completed PhD means more than doing the academic work. It is an ongoing commitment to being fully present in the community while researching honestly, ethically, and justly in a field of study. For this reason, I participate in, and hope to lead, the Joint PhD open conversations that are organized for PhD candidates and students.
Just as walking the labyrinth necessitates, membership in any organization or community requires both an inner focus and attention to external factors. Epistemologically, this inner and individual work, is a reflection of the outer, or Ubuntu, nature of engaging with the voices of others. Ontologically, I believe that knowledge comes from both inner thought and outer influence. Volunteer work reminds me that ideas and experiences from others can shift and expand my thinking on topics relevant to my research direction. For example, my work mentoring a teacher educator in Mumbai, India with the OE4BW project has shifted my research into areas of mentorship and how this can support teacher educators moving into open educational practices. My volunteer work with the ISTE Inclusive Learning Network has connected to my research by emphasizing the importance of universal design for learning principles (UDL) in the production and application of open educational resources to ensure learning is open for all. Awareness and application of UDL when teaching about media and digital literacies, and in the production of media and digital resources used in open educational practices, is an essential element for my proposed research. You can further explore additional memberships and volunteer services below.
- Virtually Connecting (VC) – I am a Co-director in this global grassroots organization and act as the regional lead for Canada. Virtually Connecting brings conference hallway conversations into open digital spaces using video conferencing software. This requires a virtual host and an onsite facilitator to engage both conference participants with those who may not be able to attend the conference due to barriers or constraints.
- ISTE (VC) – While I’ve been a member for over 20 years, I have been an executive member of the ILN (Inclusive Learning Network) for the previous 5 years, and have chaired the ILN conference presentation review committee for the past two years, and have organizing the annual ILN book study, which is open to all ISTE and non-ISTE participants, for the past four years.
- Creative Commons (CC) – I am an inaugural member Creative Commons Canada and a participant in the Creative Commons Open Educators Network. This Canadian grassroots group is part of a larger global organization focusing on fair and equitable access to resources and information while applying the Creative Commons open licensing system. My involvement resulted in a response to the Government of Canada on revisions to copyright legislation and policies. Also, my service to Creative Commons has resulted in a Certification in Creative Commons and a position as a facilitator of the CC Certification course, offered online three times each year.
- Open Education for a Better World with UNESCO – In my second year with this organization, I have volunteered as a mentor for educators in India in their efforts to bring open educational resources and practices into their teaching and learning contexts. Although this did work did not appear to directly connect to my research interests at first, it has now inspired some research into the status of cross cultural mentoring and the potential influence mentoring can have on the adoption of OER and OEPr with teacher educators.
- GO-GN is a global network of graduate students at both the masters and PhD levels who are focusing research on open education. Funded by the Hewlett Foundation, it brings researchers together annually, as well as providing digital connectivity through video presentations, blog posts, and a Whats App group to exchange ideas, theories, concepts, and research directions. I was an supporting member prior to being accepted into the Joint PhD program and my membership shifted to a full participating member since I began this program. Current and former members continue to push my thinking and expand my explorations into theories relevant to my research. Specific influence on my current research has resulted from conversation with GO-GN members Dr. Jenni Hayman, Dr. Verena Roberts, Caroline Kuhn, Dr. Chrissi Nerantzi, and Dr. Catherine Cronin who have all achieved or will soon achieve PhD status since the beginning of my membership in this organization. I am scheduled to participate in a one-day workshop on March 31st and hope to be funded to travel to the OEGlobal conference to present my research design and results in 2021.