 In this video, I'll be giving an overview of how you can prepare and plan an open education initiative at your institution. But first, I need to answer the question, what is an open education initiative? In general, an open education initiative is a large-scale project related to the promotion or implementation of open educational resources, or OER, at an institution. This can include the development of an OER task force, institutional research project, Z-degree program, mini-grant program, or another project altogether. So let's look at what you need to do to prepare and plan your own open education initiative, whatever it might be. First, you have to consider the needs of your institution. Look at what data you have about your students, faculty, and the classes taught on your campus to figure out how open education can meet the needs present in your community. Research has shown that some colleges suffer from high levels of student homelessness or hunger, and others have found that many students don't purchase their acquired texts because of their high costs. Learning about these problems can help you come up with a plan for what kind of initiative would best fit your situation, so it's a great place to start. Next, you'll have to determine the goals you want to meet in order to accommodate your needs. Do you want to increase OER awareness on campus, encourage adoption of open or affordable resources, or are there other, more pressing needs you should address? Understanding the needs present in your community can help you break down these goals into the ones that should be addressed first, and it can help you decide what kinds of initiatives are best for your institution as well. The third thing you need to think about in the planning process is who you admire in the movement and what other initiatives you'd like to emulate in your own work. For example, you might look at great models of statewide initiatives, compare the popularity in common themes in OER mini-grant programs, or look into the policies and purposes of existing OER planning and research committees. And reaching out to these existing groups can also be incredibly helpful. I know I say this a lot, but remember you don't have to do this alone. Find a mentor, a peer, a friend, and ask for help structuring your own initiative based on the work you've done already. Next, you'll need to address your own institution. You know the issues you want to work through, the goals you want to complete, and you've identified examples of great initiatives like the one you want to run. But now you need to think realistically. Can you do as much as the exemplars you've identified, or do you need to scale back your plan? Look at the strengths and weaknesses of your campus and figure out what you can and can't do to meet your goals. Finally, you'll want to gather funding and support for your project. Now that you have a plan based on data from your own institution and founded on examples from successful initiatives that others have run, you have a good base to argue for the impact and need for your initiative. Apply for grant funding, talk to your administration, or get support from other groups on campus, like academic departments or your library. Getting the support early on, whether it's financial or ideological, can make your work a lot easier as you're implementing your initiative, whatever it might be. And finally, go out there and start working. You've laid the foundation for a great project and you know what it takes to meet your goals, so get started. Form a task force, develop application materials for your grant, or just get out and talk to people. Depending on your position, location, and the strength of your team, it can be difficult to get started, but having a good plan is always a great place to start. Thanks for watching. If you liked this video, check out my others and feel free to comment or message me on Twitter if you'd like to join in the conversation.