Athena Award

• 1 instructor/year – no monetary value
• Nomination – impact statement (500 words max)

Context

Since 2017 Saitsa has been advocating for Open Educational Resources (OER’s); according to the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, OER’s are “teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property licence that permits their free use and re-purposing by others.” By providing course materials for free, OER’s increase student access to course materials while also decreasing the financial burden on students and their families. This award serves to recognize and celebrate instructors who demonstrate exemplary use of OER’s within their class/course.

Nomination Process

Any student, or staff of SAIT or Saitsa may nominate an instructor who utilizes OER’s within their course or program. Nominations are to include the following:

• Name of instructor
• Type of resource provided by instructor: textbook, syllabi, lectures, assignments, quizzes, lab activities, games, simulations, courses, etc.
• Course materials that are accessible to SAIT students through shared licenses are not considered OER’s, the resource must be accessible to everyone, everywhere, for free
• Quality of OER: easy to read and understand, easily accessible, relevant and up-to-date, comparable or better than materials you would have to pay for, etc.
• Educational Impact: improved experience in the classroom, ease of use, compatibility with learning/teaching style, etc.
• Student/Personal Impact: financial savings, environmentally friendly, etc.
• Nominators are encouraged to include specific examples of how the OER contributed to their or a students’ overall experience in the classroom and experiences as a SAIT student.

Selection Criteria

The number of nominations an instructor receives may contribute to the selection of a recipient; however, those instructors who have had a considerable impact on one individual will also be carefully considered. The Awards Selection Committee will select one recipient. Preference may be given to an instructor who has not previously won an award, or who has not won in the last two years.

Please note that any personal information included within this application form will not be given to sources outside the SAIT Students’ Association. Saitsa Executives and full-time staff are not eligible for Saitsa Awards.