# S7SE Special Episode: Collaborating with Community Colleges Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlObIk0Wk2g Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/rlObIk0Wk2g Generated: 2026-01-14T19:36:36.346+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The Chalk Radio special episode focuses on collaborating with community colleges, featuring speakers like Sarah Hansen and Shira Segal, who discuss the immense effort and community support behind making MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) materials openly accessible to educators worldwide, particularly highlighting the success of community college faculty in adapting and utilizing these resources. **Key Points:** - The episode centers on the MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) collaboration efforts with community colleges, featuring speakers Sarah Hansen, Shira Segal, Patricia Foley, Fernando Romero, Robert Bergman, and John Francis. - Shira Segal, as the OCW Engagement Manager, emphasizes the community-building work that drives OCW's mission to make educational resources openly available globally. - Segal highlights the positive impact of this work, noting that OCW has garnered over 5 million hours of watch time in just one year and has been fundamental to providing free, high-quality educational materials. - The discussion reveals that the success of OCW is driven by a strong, supportive infrastructure and the dedicated work of faculty, including those from the College of the Canyons and Rio Salado College. - Fernando Romero, a history professor from the College of the Canyons, shared his experience adapting OCW materials for his US Survey courses, noting the high engagement and positive outcomes among his students. - A key lesson discussed is the importance of iterative development and community feedback loops, ensuring that the open educational resources (OER) meet the practical needs of diverse faculty and student populations. - The collaboration aims to support educators in creating and adapting high-impact, open materials that benefit students globally, regardless of institutional affiliation or financial constraints. ![Screenshot at 00:00: Title card for the Chalk Radio special episode on 'Collaborating with Community Colleges,' listing the speakers and season information against a black cassette tape graphic.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/rlObIk0Wk2g/00-00-00.jpg) **Context:** This special episode of Chalk Radio, Season 7, explores the successful collaboration between MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) and various community colleges across the US. The conversation features several speakers, including OCW staff like Sarah Hansen and Shira Segal, and community college faculty like Fernando Romero, who share insights into how OCW materials are being adapted and used to enhance teaching and learning, particularly focusing on the value of open educational resources (OER) in supporting diverse student populations and faculty development. ## Detailed Analysis The episode opens with an introduction by co-producer Brett Pachi, who sets the stage for a discussion outside the ordinary, focusing on the community-building work at OCW and how educators globally use OCW and other open resources to better the world. Shira Segal, the OCW Engagement Manager, is introduced. Segal explains that her role involves understanding the priorities and needs of community college faculty and the wider open education ecosystem. She expresses excitement about the collaborative project, noting the rich backgrounds of the participating faculty. Segal highlights that the process involved learning how educators relate to one another and how open education is inspiring. Fernando Romero, a history professor from the College of the Canyons, shares his background in film studies and cultural memory, noting how his interest in film as a mode of expression and understanding informed his path to MIT OCW. He describes the immense dedication and passion that goes into producing the open courses, citing the over 2,000 courses and 5 million hours of watch time generated online. Romero emphasizes that open education is not just about making content free, but about creating spaces for collaboration and continuous improvement. He recounts his positive experience interviewing faculty from both large research institutions (like MIT) and community colleges (like College of the Canyons and Rio Salado College) to gather diverse perspectives on adapting and utilizing OCW materials. Romero notes that the success stems from the strong infrastructure and the commitment of faculty to adapt materials to meet student needs, rather than strictly adhering to pre-set course structures. He highlights that the collaboration was not about imposing MIT's materials but about aligning faculty goals with OER principles. He specifically mentions that the success is due to the strong sense of community and the iterative process of refining materials based on faculty feedback across different disciplines. The conversation concludes with thanks to all participants and a reminder to subscribe to the Chalk Radio newsletter. ### Introduction and Context - Co-producer Brett Pachi introduces the special episode focusing on collaboration with community colleges - Shira Segal, OCW Engagement Manager, details her role in supporting community college faculty - The underlying theme is leveraging open resources to improve education globally. ### Shira Segal's Role and OCW Impact - Segal manages collaborations to understand community college faculty needs and priorities - OCW has garnered over 5 million hours of watch time in one year, emphasizing the global reach of open educational resources (OER). ### Fernando Romero's Perspective - Romero, a history professor from College of the Canyons, discusses his background in film studies and how it influences his approach to open education - He emphasizes the dedication required to produce high-quality, openly licensed course materials. ### Collaborative Success Factors - Success is attributed to strong infrastructure, community support, and faculty who adapt materials to student needs rather than sticking rigidly to predefined structures - The goal is to foster iterative improvement across diverse institutions. ### Future Outlook and Conclusion - The discussion touches on the need to support faculty in adapting materials to current circumstances and the ongoing importance of open education principles - The speakers express excitement for future collaborations and learning from diverse educators. ![Screenshot at 00:00: Title card for the Chalk Radio special episode on 'Collaborating with Community Colleges,' listing the speakers and season information against a black cassette tape graphic.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/rlObIk0Wk2g/00-00-00.jpg) ![Screenshot at 00:15: Introductory segment mentioning Sarah Hansen and Shira Segal, the collaboration managers, setting the context for the discussion.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/rlObIk0Wk2g/00-00-15.jpg) ![Screenshot at 01:27: Shira Segal introducing herself and her role as the MIT OpenCourseWare Engagement Manager.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/rlObIk0Wk2g/00-01-27.jpg) ![Screenshot at 05:00: A brief humorous exchange between the hosts about the pleasure of interviewing guests.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/rlObIk0Wk2g/00-05-00.jpg) ![Screenshot at 33:35: The closing remarks thanking the speakers and instructing listeners how to follow Chalk Radio's work.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/rlObIk0Wk2g/00-33-35.jpg)