As part of UNA’s commitment to student success, the OER Working Group is opening applications for faculty stipends for adapting, adopting, or creating Open Education Resources (OER) to replace traditional high-cost textbooks and course materials in their classes.  The funds will be awarded to faculty who are pursuing innovative uses of course materials, including technology, textbooks, and ancillary materials that will help reduce the burden of textbook expenses for our students.  Funding will vary depending on the scope and impact of the individual projects and the total number of projects chosen for funding.

Textbook costs have outpaced inflation by 300% over the last 30 years, creating a huge impediment to college success and retention.  Textbooks cost the average student $1,200 per year and 65% of students say they have not purchased a required textbook due to the cost, according to a 2014 Public Interest Research Group survey and the 2018 Florida Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey.

Funding will be awarded on a rolling basis – there is no deadline to apply. However, proposals must be submitted at least 6-weeks prior to proposed delivery. Possible approaches to course material alternatives include:

• Creating a new open textbook or collection of materials
• Adopting or adapting an existing open textbook
• Assembling a collection of open resources into new course materials
• Licensing an e-textbook, video, or other media content for classroom use or e-reserves
• Using subscribed library resources

As faculty develop proposals, librarians and instructional designers are available to share expertise in copyright, licensing, open access, course management software and tools, electronic reserves, subject-matter content, and multimedia resources.

The OER Working Group has developed a self-paced Canvas course to introduce faculty to OER and working group members are available to answer questions faculty may have about the process of proposing a project. Information sessions are being planned via Zoom for the summer.  Email oer@una.edu to be added to the canvas course.

To propose a project for funding fill out the UNA OER Proposal Application form and email it to oer@una.edu