OER Under the Hood [CCCOER Edition]: Vocational Publishing with Pressbooks

In this session of the OER Under the Hood webinar series, Pressbooks is teaming up with the Community College Consortium for OER (CCCOER), to explore how open educational resources can be used to support hands-on, career-focused learning in vocational and technical fields.

Our featured project will be Introduction to Welding, a richly illustrated open textbook developed through the Washington Open ProfTech project. Created by experienced instructors, the book introduces students to welding careers, safety practices, tools, welding techniques, cutting processes, inspection, and materials—designed to meet the needs of learners and align with real-world industry expectations.

Recording Now Available

Join us September 17th for conversation where we will spotlight both the why and how behind this project.

• When:
  • Event Local: September 17 at 3:00pm EDT
  • Your Time: Sep 17, 2025 07
  • World Time Clock: convert to your local time

We’ll explore:

• The unique challenges and opportunities in creating OER for vocational programs (where existing open content is scarce and learning is hands-on)
• How instructors navigate OER creation on limited time
• The process of translating practical skills into text and imagery
• Lessons learned from concept to publication and advice for others starting a vocational OER project

Panelists:

• Douglas Rupik, Welding faculty, South Seattle College
• David Colameco, Associate welding instructor, Everett Community College
• Ashley Montenegro Ramirez, Project manager, WA Open ProfTech

Hosts: 

• Heather Blicher, Director, Community College Consortium for OER, OEGlobal
• Alan Levine, Director of Community Engagement, OEGlobal
• Jennifer Martin, Manager of Content Marketing, Pressbooks

This session will be recorded, so if you cannot make the listed time don’t worry! All registrants will be sent the recording and the event will also be archived on the CCCOER website – OER Under the Hood: Vocational Publishing with Pressbooks

Watch past sessions in the series on YouTube: OER Under the Hood Playlist

Organizers: