Purpose
OER Development Grants are available to faculty who create, adapt, or adopt open educational learning materials, known as OERs. OERs are digital products used in teaching and learning that are licensed with a Creative Commons copyright license, are free to students and can be made available globally in OER repositories such as the Pressbooks Directory or the Open Textbook Library. Grants will be awarded for the creation, adaptation, or adoption of such materials. To find out more about open educational resources, consult the library’s OER guide.
Awards
There are three award tiers within the OER Creation/Adoption Grant program.
- Tier 1 is reserved for projects that result in the creation of OER learning materials.
- An example of a Tier 1 project would be an OER product created primarily by campus faculty to replace an existing course material, such as a textbook or laboratory manual.
- Tier 2 is reserved for projects that are adapted from existing OER, Adaption may come from one or more existing OER products, resulting in a new OER.
- An example of a Tier 2 project would be an OER product that results from customizing an existing OER product or combining and customizing multiple existing OER products, or combining public domain materials to create an anthology, providing original commentary or narrative as needed.
- Tier 3 is reserved for faculty who adopt existing OER products to support their teaching.
- An example of a Tier 3 project would be the use of an OER product discovered through an OER repository that has been licensed to share as intended by the faculty member.
Benefits and Expectations
Grants will be awarded for accepted proposals. The amount of the grant will be determined by the nature of the project. Tier 1 projects will be awarded $5,000. Tier 2 projects will be awarded $3,000. Tier 3 projects will be awarded $1,000. Faculty with accepted applications will be asked to meet with the library’s OER liaison to further discuss their project to determine the appropriate level of support.
In order to receive a full award, faculty must agree to the conditions stated in the OER MOU.
Faculty Support
As specified in the MOU, faculty will receive support from University Library, the Center for Teaching & Learning, and the Assistive Technology and Accessibility Center. Staff from these units will provide assistance and advice in areas such as copyright, licensing, accessibility, and assessment of student experience.
Faculty who complete OER projects are eligible for recommendations and comments that will assist in documenting achievement in teaching for promotion and tenure considerations.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be considered using the following general criteria:
- A statement regarding motivation for applying for the grant
- Estimated number of IU students affected by the proposal (include information for multiple course sections, if appropriate)
- Overall cost savings to students
- A statement regarding intended positive impact on underrepresented students
Deadlines
- Completed proposals must be received no later than September 29, 2023.
- Faculty whose proposals are accepted will be notified no later than October 16, 2023.
- An initial consultation with the faculty member, the OER program director and the faculty member’s designated library liaison will take place within 2 weeks of notification of proposal acceptance.
Application Process
- Any instructor of record at IUPUI is eligible to apply. Submit your applications through Qualtrics.
- Questions regarding the grants or the application process may be directed to the library’s OER liaison, Bill Orme, by sending email to orme@iupui.edu.