Robin DeRosa: a joyful and energetic learner, a brilliant and loving teacher, a splendid and generous colleague. When she speaks, horizons expand, and one finds new courage for the journey.
~ Gardner Campbell, Special Assistant to the Provost, Virginia Commonwealth University
Robin’s nuanced, critical perspective has shaped my work and undoubtedly shifted the larger open education movement. She is continually asking important questions that challenge faculty, librarians, administrators, and OER leaders to re-center pedagogy as the focal point of their open work. Robin’s clear investment in openness, combined with her robust understanding of higher education, labor, and students’ needs, make her an ideal speaker for critical open education events. Robin’s passion for open is infectious. Her thoughtful, engaging keynote inspired many of our faculty to think about how they might incorporate open pedagogy into their 2016-2017 courses. I was impressed with Robin’s ability to tailor the keynote to such a diverse audience. A wide range of faculty and staff from all disciplines attended our showcase, from novices that had never heard of OER to faculty that had received an open education stipend. Robin’s talk appealed to everyone across the spectrum. She was able to provide enough introductory material to situate the open education movement while still being provocative and insightful. This, combined with how institutionally relevant and tailored the keynote was, made Robin the perfect speaker for our event.
~Sarah Crissinger, Librarian, Davidson College
Robin is incisive and reflective. She has a real sense of wonder about the work of education and also a willingness to ask hard questions — to always challenge herself and those she works with. I have had the pleasure to work with her in many capacities. She is a dynamic and generous speaker. I have had the pleasure of seeing her present in person and virtually. She listens intently to the hum of a room and always seems to talk with her audience and not at them. When I hosted a virtual presentation by Robin at an Open Education summit at University of Mary Washington, it felt as though she was in the room with us. The audience was riveted as she talked about the complexity of OER and pedagogy alongside in-person participants Gardner Campbell and Bryan Alexander. During the Q&A, Robin made her listening visible in ways that drew the audience in, making for a truly interactive dialogue between virtual and in-person participants alike. Many expressed interest in having Robin back for an in-person presentation.
~Jesse Stommel, Executive Director, Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies, University of Mary Washington
Robin’s presentation truly provided a transformative experience for faculty on our campus. Her communication of the power, potential and possible pitfalls of Open Education is not just highly informative, but engaging and humorous. No one explains OER, open Pedagogy and open access (and the inextricable connections between them), with as much clarity and commitment to the future of public higher education as Robin DeRosa. Her commitment to a ‘dream of the public commons’ and helping teachers develop practices that allow students to be a part of the knowledge economy is indeed inspiring to all of us in higher education that share that dream. We are continuing to implement much that we learned from this brilliant pioneer.
~Karen Cangialosi, Professor of Biology,
Keene State College
Robin gave a wonderful talk to the UW-Madison Open Meetup on her work with open pedagogy. Despite a few technical difficulties on our end, she was a great sport. I was impressed that even virtually, Robin was able to convey her infectious energy and keen knowledge about the topic. After her talk, I heard many appreciative comments, including one attendee who shared that she felt like she finally “got” open pedagogy. Robin is a thoughtful, engaging speaker and I couldn’t recommend her more!
~Brianna Marshall, Digital Curation Coordinator
& Co-Founder of UW Open MeetUp,
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Dr. Robin DeRosa is a great advocate for Open Educational Resources and empowering students to be the agents of their own learning. Dr. DeRosa visited Davidson College as the plenary speaker for our annual Teaching Showcase held in May 2016. During her visit she also graciously accepted our request to lead a workshop on engaging and empowering students using digital annotation. The workshop and the plenary were fantastic. Dr. DeRosa delivered thought-provoking and engaging presentations in both formats. She is dynamic, approachable, and knowledgeable. Clearly an expert in her field, Dr. DeRosa is a leader who is changing higher ed paradigms.
~Verna Case, Associate Dean of the Faculty,
Davidson College
Over the past few years, I’ve lost count of how many presentations and talks I’ve heard on OA and OERs, but I’ve never been able to forget Robin DeRosa’s. What sets her apart is not just her enthusiasm and passion, but her knowledge and her willingness to grapple with complex issues. At a time when it seems (too many) are evangelical advocates for Openness with little patience for questions or shades of grey, DeRosa is a breath of fresh air.
~Dennis Lloyd, Director, University of Wisconsin Press