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Goodbye, 2021!

2021 has been an incredible year at Rebus Community! We’re so thankful for the conversations we’ve shared, the projects we’ve been a part of, and for our continually growing network of educators who’ve been continuing to reimagine publishing practices to be open and equitable.

Today, we’re excited to share a few highlights:

  • Updates from the Rebus Community team
  • New OER releases and calls for participation
  • Spotlights from TSP Projects
  • A timely recording of our final Office Hours session of 2021 on "The Power of No"
  • Warm wishes for the end of the year!

News from the Rebus Team

As we close out our year, I can’t help but feel an immense sense of gratitude to the team at Rebus Community and the extended collaborators of facilitators, consultants, advisors, and the broader community at large. We cannot do what we can without you!

Today, I’m announcing some bittersweet news about the team: we’re saying farewell to Monica Brown, who joined Rebus earlier in 2021, and welcoming Jördis Weilandt and Kaitlin Schilling! Keep reading to learn more about Kaitlin and Jördis, and take a look back at 2021 with Monica.

Learn about the growing team

Jördis Weilandt will be joining Rebus Community as Assistant Program Manager! With a background in culture studies and modern language teaching, Jördis has been supporting students and (teacher) colleagues in a variety of (inter)national settings before coming to Rebus. A lover of (open) learning, she believes in the power of community to generate positive change, build stimulating connections, and share transformative teachings.

Kaitlin Schilling is stepping into the new role of Associate Program Manager! Kaitlin studied psychology at the University of Windsor prior to completing her graduate certificate in public administration from Humber College. She has previous experience in community-based program delivery across Canada, communications, and most recently post secondary education. A former participant of the Textbook Success Program, Kaitlin is committed to inclusive and accessible storytelling. Her enthusiasm for open education is rooted in her firm belief in expanding access to knowledge with a focus on equity.

Please join me in wishing Monica all the best for her future endeavours, and in giving Jördis and Kaitlin a warm welcome! We are excited to continue supporting the community in 2022, and beyond!

— Apurva Ashok
Director of Open Education
The Rebus Foundation

TSP Spotlight

This section highlights projects currently enrolled in the Textbook Success Program. Want to be part of the Textbook Success Program? Our cohorts run three times a year. Sign up for a consultation.


Logo for support specialist awardwExciting news! Werner Westermann, from the May 2020 cohort of the Textbook Success Program has won an Open Education Award for Excellence, Support Specialist. Add a few sentences of context about his work here. Learn more about his impactful work.

Cover image for Pulling Together: Manitoba Foundations Guide (Brandon Edition)Some of the key collaborators on the Pulling Together: Manitoba Foundations Guide (Brandon Edition) Joan Garbutt, Carley McDougall, and Kris Desjarlais sat down with the BCcampus team to talk about this adaptationfor Assiniboine Community College and Brandon University staff, faculty, and administration. Read about how this group "Picked up the Paddle in Manitoba."

Lastly, but by no means the least, cheers also to all our TSP Facilitators this year for their incredible work supporting our cohorts: Bryan McGeary, Joel Gladd, and Amy Minervini!

New Releases

This section amplifies posts new OER released by the community! If you would like your book release shared in our newsletter, post your announcement in Rebus Community forum 

Book cover for Introduction to EpistemologyCongratulations to Christina Hendricks and team on the release of another new OER in the Introduction to Philosophy series!  The newest release is Introduction to Epistemologyedited by Brian C. Barnett. 

Introduction to Epistemology engages first-time philosophy readers on a guided tour through the core concepts, questions, methods, arguments, and theories of epistemology—the branch of philosophy devoted to the study of knowledge. After a brief overview of the field, the book progresses systematically while placing central ideas and thinkers in historical and contemporary context. Learn more and let us know if you are adopting this book in your 2022 courses!

Don't forget to check out the other books in the collection:  Philosophy of MindEthicsLogic, and Philosophy of Religion.
Covers for Philosophy of Mind, Ethics, Logic, and Philosophy of Religion

Calls for Participation

This section features calls for participation from projects with a topic in our Contributor Marketplace. If you would like to see your call in our newsletter, follow these steps to amplify your requests for contributors.


The team behind Fundamentals, Function, and Form: Theory and Analysis of Tonal Western Art Music is seeking reviewers for an accompanying workbook. The project will offer more than 500 pages of supplementary activities! The team is looking for faculty with experience teaching undergraduate core classes in music theory and aural skills. Learn more and get involved.

Jennifer Pate, part of another music OER team, is seeking copyeditors and proofreaders for their short introduction to the basics of music theory, designed for non-music majors. Find out more about contributing to this project on our forum.

Take 3 minutes to lend a hand to a graduate student working on research on “the relationship between agile practices and open source software development.” Learn more and take a brief survey.

Office Hours Recap: The Power of No

At our final Office Hours session for 2021, we reflect on one of the toughest parts of managing professional life as an OER advocate: saying no. Watch the recording or read the audio transcript to learn strategies for saying no, and to be inspired with all the reasons that doing less can often mean doing so much more. Thanks to our guests: Amanda Larson (Affordable Learning Instructional Consultant, Ohio State University), Johanna Meetz (Publishing & Repository Services Librarian, Ohio State University), Elizabeth Speer (Electronic Resources & Acquisitions Librarian, University of North Texas Health Science Center), and Karen Bjork (Head of Digital Initiatives, Cataloging, & eAccess, Portland State University Library).
Stay tuned for more Office Hours in 2022!

See you all in 2022!

Rebus Community will be on vacation from Dec. 23-Jan 3. Happy holidays, for those celebrating festivities this time of the year. And warm tidings to everyone for the new year ahead! Have a restful break. We look forward to supporting you in the new year!

Stock image of 2022 in glitter font on a black background
Copyright © 2021 The Rebus Foundation, All rights reserved.


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