Name: James Ross-Nazzal
Preferred pronouns: he/his
Where do you work?
Houston Community College
What do you do there?
History instructor
Where did you go to school?
University of Washington and Washington State University
Where is your hometown?
Milwaukee
What might someone be surprised to know about you?
I am an award-winning homebrewer from the Washington State Fair, two years in a row.
How did you get involved with the Open Texas Conference?
I responded to the email announcement.
What was your first impression of Open Texas?
It's a great org that I wanted to partner with.
What has surprised you most about working with Open Texas?
The diversity of institutions involved.
What do you find most challenging about coordinating the Open Texas Conference?
Compartmentalizing the cooks in their respective kitchens.
What do you wish other people knew about the Open Texas Conference?
How dedicated the volunteers are.
Tell me about some of the people you’ve met while working on Open Texas?
Lots of librarians. Nice to work with folks across the curriculum and outside the classroom.
What would you say are some of your strongest beliefs about open education practices?
Open Ed can be best for students, when used thoughtfully and meaningfully.
The interest in open education seems to be growing. Why do you think that is?
Because Open Ed is successful.
What would you tell someone who is thinking about presenting or attending Open Texas?
To quote Nike, "Just do it."
What do you think will change about open education in five years?
More topics on looking back to see what mistakes were made and what lessons have been learned.
What are your professional goals for the next five years?
To become the next OER director at or college and to complete my OER US history textbook (only 3 chapters to go).
What is your personal philosophy on open education?
Open Education can save students from the dull grind of for-profit books in several ways. First, if written well open ed books talk to students, students can feel the cadence, and if written with a purpose, POC can see themselves within those e-pages.