Relinda Ruth, M.A.
Professional Bio
Relinda Ruth is the Director of Educational Resources and Open Educational Resources (OER) Specialist at the University of Arkansas-Cossatot Community College. She oversees the Educational Resource Center across three campuses, which includes Kimball Library, tutoring services, and the college’s textbook rental and OER program. Additionally, Relinda also manages the college’s gift shop. She also teaches English courses as an adjunct.
In 2015, Relinda was instrumental in establishing Arkansas’s first internal textbook rental and OER program. She directs the college’s Title III grant, chairs the OER Taskforce Committee for the Arkansas Library Consortium (ARKLink), and represents the University of Arkansas System in the Driving OER Sustainability for Student Success (DOERS3) organization. Relinda is also a member of the Open Education Arkansas Conference Planning Committee and (SREB) Educational Technology Cooperative.
Relinda delivered the keynote at the Oklahoma OER Summit (2023) and presented internationally at Open Education Global (OE Global) in Brisbane, Australia (2024). From 2019–2021, she served on the steering committee for the Open Education Network.
She holds an M.A. in English and a B.S. in English and Mass Communications from Texas A&M University–Texarkana, as well as certifications in open licensing through Creative Commons and effective college instruction through the Association of College and University Educators and the American Council on Education. In 2023, she completed a professional program in Open Education through Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia. An outspoken advocate for accessible education, Relinda continues to advance OER initiatives, affordability, and innovation for learners locally, nationally, and globally.
In 2015, Relinda was instrumental in establishing Arkansas’s first internal textbook rental and OER program. She directs the college’s Title III grant, chairs the OER Taskforce Committee for the Arkansas Library Consortium (ARKLink), and represents the University of Arkansas System in the Driving OER Sustainability for Student Success (DOERS3) organization. Relinda is also a member of the Open Education Arkansas Conference Planning Committee and (SREB) Educational Technology Cooperative.
Relinda delivered the keynote at the Oklahoma OER Summit (2023) and presented internationally at Open Education Global (OE Global) in Brisbane, Australia (2024). From 2019–2021, she served on the steering committee for the Open Education Network.
She holds an M.A. in English and a B.S. in English and Mass Communications from Texas A&M University–Texarkana, as well as certifications in open licensing through Creative Commons and effective college instruction through the Association of College and University Educators and the American Council on Education. In 2023, she completed a professional program in Open Education through Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia. An outspoken advocate for accessible education, Relinda continues to advance OER initiatives, affordability, and innovation for learners locally, nationally, and globally.
Profession
Administrator
Affiliation
University of Arkansas-Cossatot Community College
U.S. State
Arkansas
Certifications
HRCI Leadership, Mastery in Open Licensing, ACUE Effective College Instruction, KPU Professional Program in Open Education
Areas of Expertise
Professional Program through KPU-Theory and Philosophy of Open Education; Open Educational Resources and Pedagogies; Open Educational Tech; Supporting Open Ed; Open Ed Policy and Leadership, instructional design, CC Licensing
Open Education Presentation Portfolio
Ruth, R. (2015, Oct.). Igniting change: Challenging the textbook expense dilemma: Establishing an internal textbook rental service in higher education. Administrative roundtable discussion presented at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Community Colleges (ACC).; Davis, S. & R. Ruth (2016, Nov.). Revolutionizing learning: OER & enhanced course design. PowerPoint session presented at the Texas A&M-Texarkana (TAMU-T) annual national distance learning week mini-conference.; Ruth, R. (2017, Oct.). Igniting change: Challenging the textbook expense dilemma: Maintaining an internal textbook rental program/ OER in higher education. Administrative roundtable discussion presented at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Community Colleges (ACC).; Ruth, R. (2018, Sept.). Igniting change: Introduction to OER. Administrative PowerPoint session presented at the annual meeting of the Arkansas Association for Developmental Education (ArkADE), Conway, Ark.; Ruth, R., (2019, Aug.). Introduction to OER & overcoming challenges presented in OER. Speaker and breakout session presented at the convocation and in-service event at South Arkansas Community College, El Dorado, AR.; Ruth, R., et al. (2019, Aug.) Open educational resources in Arkansas: Progress & lessons learned. Panel discussion presented at the ArLA/SELA 2019 Joint Conference, Hot Springs, AR. ; Ruth, R., et al. (2020, Mar.). National open educational resource discussion. Faculty discussion presented at OE-Arkansas, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR.; Ruth, R., et al. (2020, Mar.). National open educational resource discussion. Administrative discussion presented at OE-Arkansas, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR.; Ruth, R. & T. Nguyen (2021, Mar.). Funding OER through a title III SIP grant. PowerPoint session presented at OE-Arkansas Virtual Event hosted by the University of Arkansas.; Ruth, R. (2021, Sept.). Innovations for remote learning and beyond: A one-day mini-conference for EACC faculty: Open Educational Resources. Virtual presentation. East Arkansas Community College.; Ruth, R. (2021, Sept.). Dual enrollment and student success. Webinar session: Making a case for student success: Open educational resources in dual enrollment and CTE. Southern Educational Regional Board (SREB).; Ruth, R. (2021, Oct.). Zero to sixty in five years: University of Arkansas Cossatot pathway to 60% participation. Virtual presentation. Open Florida (OpenFL).; Ruth, R. (2022, Feb. 23). Improving Educational Equity: Transforming the Landscape of Developmental Education and College Readiness. Open Educational Resources Conference. Southern Education Regional Board (SREB). Atlanta, GA.; Ruth, R. (2022, March 11). Zero to sixty in five years: A journey to success with OER & a pathway to funding. Virtual presentation. OE-Arkansas.; Ruth. R. (2022, Aug. 18). Zero to sixty in five years: A journey to success with OER & a pathway to funding. Administrator and faculty presentation. ASU-Mountain Home, AR. ; Ruth, R. et al. (2022, Oct.). The state of OER in Arkansas. Panel discussion presented at the ArLA 2022 Conference, Fort Smith, AR.; Ruth, R. (2023, Mar.). Improving Educational Equity: Transforming the Approach to Developmental Education, Dual Enrollment, and College Readiness through OER and Collaboration. OER and Dual Enrollment Conference. Southern Educational Regional Board (SREB). Atlanta, GA.; Ruth, R. Zero to Sixty in Five Years: One University’s Pathway to 60% Participation. Blog Post. WCET Frontiers. https://wcet.wiche.edu/frontiers/2022/02/03/oer-zero-to-sixty-in-five-years-one-universitys-pathway-to-60-participation/; Open Education Network (OEN). (2022, Aug. 22). Member Spotlight: Arkansas Community Colleges. Interview with Relinda Ruth. https://open.umn.edu/blog/member-spotlight-arkansas-community-colleges ; Shackelford, P. (Host). (2022, Aug. 23). OER in Arkansas (No. ) [Audio podcast episode]. The Modern Scholar Podcast. https://modernscholarpodcast.com/; Anastasia Karaglani, Ph.D., Research Associate at the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME) requested to interview me for their study.; 1. Ruth, R. (2023, Oct. 10). Improving Educational Equity: OER & Collaboration. ACC Conference. ACC. Hot Springs, AR.; 2. Ruth, R. (2023, Nov. 2). OER Zero-to-Sixty in Five Years: Building Advocacy in Arkansas. Oklahoma OER Summit: Innovating Education for Tomorrow: Aligning OER with the Future of OK Higher ed. Keynote Speaker one-hour presentation. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. Midwest City, Oklahoma.; 3. Ruth, R. (2024, Feb. 22). Improving Educational Equity: Transforming the Approach to Developmental Education. OK/AR ACT Summit. Owasso, Oklahoma.; 1. Ruth, R. (2024, November 14). Breaking Barriers and Embracing Innovation: UA Cossatot’s Journey to OER Leadership. [Conference presentation]. OE Global 2024 Conference. Brisbane, Australia.; 2. Essmiller, K., Gallant, J., Diaz, L., Reynolds, L., Coolidge, A., Griffith, B., & Ruth, R. (2024, November 15). DOERS: Supporting Open as Everyone’s Business. [Conference presentation]. OE Global 2024 Conference, Brisbane, Australia.