About me
Michael Plotkin is associate professor and department chair of biological sciences at Mt. San Jacinto College in California. He is an active member of the college’s honors enrichment program and has held roles in several OER initiatives, including serving as a reviewer for the California Open Education Resources Council.Michael focuses on STEM education with an interest in alternative grading, evidence-based teaching, creation of OER materials, and interdisciplinary collaborations.He has served as the co-editor of the MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) Biology Editorial Board since 2014. In addition to curating OER and other free materials in biology, he has worked with the MERLOT Biology Editorial Board to present at national conferences, to author OER, and to conduct research on practices and resources relevant to biology online education. He has been including students in the MERLOT peer review for several years and has mentored students in authoring OER materials.Michael has evolved into a strong advocate for OER in STEM education. As an author, reviewer, and consultant for commercial biology texts, he has come to believe the dynamic, inclusive, and accessible nature of OER is a better way to democratize knowledge and provide equitable educational opportunities.
