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UNF Open Educational Resources (OER) Initiative

OER savings graphicGoal

To support and incentivize faculty adoption of high-quality Open Educational Resources (OER) in place of traditional and expensive textbooks.

Objectives

  • Lower student costs by eliminating expensive instructional materials when possible.
  • Support faculty experimentation with OERs.
  • Assist faculty in finding and using academically equivalent OER content.

Project Overview

UNF’s OER Initiative is a joint project by the Center for Instruction and Research Technology (CIRT) and the Thomas G. Carpenter Library that seeks to lower college costs for UNF students by encouraging UNF faculty to adopt quality open resources in their courses. The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition defines OER as “teaching, learning, and research resources that either reside in the public domain or carry a license that permits their free use, sharing and adaptation by all users. From textbooks to course materials, videos to software, journals to digital collections, the creation and sharing of open materials can reduce the cost of textbooks, expand access to knowledge, and support student success.” [1]

 

For additional information about OER please visit the Carpenter Library Guide.

 

Since 2006, the cost of college textbooks has increased 88 percent, compared with an increase of 21 percent for all items, according to the Consumer Price Index. [2] The cost of textbooks also puts college students at risk of falling behind. A 2016 survey of more than 20,000 Florida college students found that textbook prices caused 67 percent of them to not purchase a required textbook, 26 percent to drop a class and 20 percent to fail a course. [3]

 

The current application period for proposals is open  through December 14, 2018. All participants in the Spring 2019 Cohort will develop a course utilizing open educational resources in place of purchased instructional materials and implement the course by Spring 2020.

Guidelines

  • Open to professors, associate professors, assistant professors, instructors, and lecturers.
  • Special consideration given to faculty proposals with the potential for broad impact, including large enrollment and Gen Ed courses.
  • Proposals must include a letter of support from department chair.
  • Proposals must include a description of the impact of financial savings for students.
  • Courses already using open access materials exclusively are not eligible.
  • All required textbooks must be available at no cost and the cost of any other instructional materials may not exceed $25.

Support for Selected Proposals

Before starting the process of transforming their courses to use OER, awardees will complete the following training workshops:

  • Kick-off Meeting/Introduction to Open Educational Resources (Face-to-face)
  • Copyright Overview (online)
  • Introduction to Instructional Design (online)

Awardees will also have access to instructional design and curriculum alignment services from CIRT and library faculty for assistance in identifying resources.

Reporting

Awardees will be required to:

  • Attend a kickoff meeting on Friday, January 18, 2019, from 1:00 - 2:00 pm to meet project staff, discuss open licensing, and outline technological, pedagogical, and research support.
  • Submit a final project report that includes a narrative summarizing the challenges and accomplishments of the experience of finding/using OER materials, impact on teaching, impact on students, and lessons learned.
  • Provide a copy of the revised syllabus or course outline used for the class and make available to other department faculty teaching the same course.

Stipend Distribution

A $1000 stipend will be awarded for the successful completion of the OER Initiative.

 

Funds will be distributed in 2 payments; 50% upon completion of training sessions, and 50% upon project completion and reporting. Selected proposals will be highlighted on an initiative website.

To Apply

We are accepting applications through December 14, 2018. Project timelines may vary, but the course using OER materials must be implemented no later than Spring 2020. A letter of support from the academic chair is required.

 

To submit a proposal:

If your proposal is approved for funding, you will receive an email with further instructions for getting started on the project

 

Note: One proposal/one course per faculty member.

 

 

[1] http://www.sparc.arl.org/resource/libraries-leading-way-open-educational-resources

[2] https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/college-tuition-and-fees-increase-63-percent-since-january-2006.htm

[3] http://www.openaccesstextbooks.org/pdf/2016_Florida_Student_Textbook_Survey.pdf

 

Additional Resources