2026 Colorado OER Conference

The rapid growth of Colorado’s aerospace industry has increased the demand for a skilled and diverse workforce, while access to introductory aerospace education remains uneven across K-12 and early-college pathways. This presentation describes a collaborative initiative that addresses this gap. The OER resource Principles of Aerospace Engineering is being developed through a collaboration among two local K-12 schools, Pikes Peak State College, and the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS). The final product will be a modular, openly licensed textbook and activity suite designed for high school and early college learners.

The project is funded by a grant from the Colorado Department of Higher Education. It brings together faculty, instructional designers, and students to co-create a shared curricular resource aligned across K-12 and higher education. Rather than treating OER as a single course artifact, this initiative provides open content as a connective infrastructure that supports curriculum development, reduces duplication of effort, and strengthens transitions across K-12 audience and into post-secondary STEM programs. This session highlights strategies for cross-institutional collaboration, student involvement, and alignment with workforce-relevant learning outcomes. It also addresses practical considerations such as licensing sustainability, and faculty adaptation.

This interactive session will engage attendees through guided reflection and discussion focused on identifying transferable collaboration models and implementation strategies. Participants will leave with concrete ideas for leveraging OER to build resilient, innovative, and collaborative learning opportunities that expand access and opportunity across educational systems.