Skip to Main Content
Center for Instruction and Research Technology
oneColumn

Open Educational Resources Initiative at UNF

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 access and library resources in their courses. Join us March 4 - 8 for Open Education Week 2024!

OER Initiative Overview Text


Goal

The goal of the Open Educational Resources (OER) Initiative is to support and incentivize faculty adoption and creation of high-quality Open Educational Resources in place of traditional and expensive textbooks.


Objectives

  • Lower student costs by eliminating expensive instructional materials.
  • Support faculty with the adoption and/or creation of OERs.
  • Assist faculty in identifying and applying academically equivalent zero-cost resources.

Definition

The terms "open content" and "open educational resources" describe any copyrightable work (traditionally excluding software, which is described by other terms like "open source") that is either (1) in the public domain or (2) licensed in a manner that provides everyone with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities.

Definition and 5R's material is based on original writing by David Wiley, which was published freely under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license at https://opencontent.org/

Retain - the right to make, own, and control copies of the content (e.g., download, duplicate, store, and manage)

Reuse - the right to use the content in a wide range of ways (e.g., in a class, in a study group, on a website, in a video)

Revise - the right to adapt, adjust, modify, or alter the content itself (e.g., translate the content into another language)

Remix - the right to combine the original or revised content with other material to create something new (e.g., incorporate the content into a mashup)

Redistribute - the right to share copies of the original content, your revisions, or your remixes with others (e.g., give a copy of the content to a friend)

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]

The Facts

Textbook costs increased 40% from 2011 to 2018, with a slow decrease as of March 2018. Although we have seen a modest decrease, textbook costs continue to impact students. [2]

A 2022 survey of more than 13,000 Florida college students found that textbook prices caused:

  • 53% to not purchase a required textbook
  • 24% to drop a class
  • 32% to earn a poor grade. [3]

OER Faculty Text

Faculty that have successfully completed the UNF Open Educational Resources (OER) Initiative are listed on this page. These faculty members have completed training on OER resources and transformed a course from using traditional textbooks to using OER resources. Each of the following courses was offered to students with an instructional cost of materials at $25 or less.

  • OER FACULTY +
    Semester of Implementation Name Course Course Title Department Final Report
    Fall 2023 Michael Vincent MUH3211 Music History 1 Music description
    Fall 2023 Michael Vincent MUL2010 Introduction to Music Literature Music description
    Fall 2023 Stacey A. Hobbick NUR2930 Ambulatory Nursing Care and Perspectives Nursing description
    Fall 2024 Elizabeth Brown PSY3021 Professional Opportunities in Psychology Psychology description
    Fall 2024 Elizabeth Brown SOP3214C Experimental Social Psychology Psychology description
    Summer 2023 Sinyoung Park HSA6187 Managing Human Resources in Health Care Organizations Health Administration description
    Fall 2023 Hanadi Hamadi HSA6158 Health Policy and Law Health Administration description
    Spring 2023 Aiyin Jiang BCN4431 Structural Systems Construction Management description
    Fall 2022 Jacqueline Meier ANT3101 Fundamentals of Archaeology Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work description
    Summer 2022 Jasper Xu HSA6707 Research Methods for Healthcare Management Health Administration description
    Spring 2023 Kay Thiemann HSA6396 Strategic Planning for Health Information Systems Health Administration description
    Fall 2023 Seema Shekhawat POS2041 American Politics Political Science description
    Fall 2022 Margaret Stewart COM3332 Mediated Communication Communication description
    Spring 2023 Katryne Lukens Bull PHC4468 Health Disparities through Data Analytics Public Health description
    Fall 2022 Russell Triplett ECO3701 Contemporary International Economics Issues Economics and Geography description
    Spring 2024 Josh Gellers INR4603 International Relations: Frameworks for Analysis Political Science and Public Administration description
    Fall 2023 Sericea Stallings-Smith HSC6735 Public Health Research Public Health description
    Fall 2023 Kristen Roof HUN2201 Basic Principles of Human Nutrition Nutrition and Dietetics description
    Fall 2022 Jasper Xu HSA5177 Health Care Finance Health Administration description
    Fall 2022 Brent Johnson HSA4992 Global Health Care Health Administration description
    Spring 2023 Mei Zhao HSA6436 Health Economics, Financing, and Reimbursement Health Administration description
    Fall 2022 Shyam Paryani HSA6387 Quality and Patient Safety Management Health Administration description
    Fall 2022 Shyam Paryani HSA6512 Leadership & Organizational Behavior Health Administration description
    Spring 2022 Rahul Kale MAN4550 Introduction to Management Science Management description
    Spring 2023 Lori Lange PSY2012 Introduction to Psychology Psychology description
    Summer 2022 Shyam Paryani HSA6386 Population Health for Health Administrators Health Administration description
    Fall 2022 Aiyin Jiang BCN6315 Advanced Construction Technology Construction Management description
    Fall 2022 Jasper Xu HSA6179 Financial Management for Health Care Health Administration description
    Spring 2022 Tia Kimball TSL6142 ESOL Curriculum Development College of Education and Human Services description
    Fall 2022 Don Moore ENC1101 Writing for Audience and Purpose English description
    Spring 2022 Margaret Stewart COM4373 Consequences of Cyberculture Communication description
    Fall 2021 Aiyin Jiang BCN4751C Housing and Land Development Construction Management description
    Spring 2023 Yunjeong Mo BCN6595 Environmental Issues in Land Development and Construction Construction Management description
    Spring 2020 Linda Connelly NUR4093 Perioperative Nursing Nursing description
    Fall 2021 Sinyoung Park HSA6520 Managerial Epidemiology Health Administration description
    Fall 2021 James Taylor BSC3052 Conservation Biology Biology description
    Fall 2021 Samantha Brown CJJ3010 Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile Justice Criminology and Criminal Justice description
    Fall 2021 Colleen Kalynych HSC4181 Alternative Healing Public Health description
    Fall 2021 Deborah Owen HSC4150 Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Public Health description
    Fall 2020 Sarah Provost MUH3211 Music History 1 Music description
    Spring 2020 Margaret Stewart COM4561 Strategic Social Media Communication description
    Fall 2021 Russell Turney ENC1143 Writing with Evidence and Style English description
    Fall 2020 Zhiping Yu HUN6911 Nutrition and Dietetics Seminar Nutrition and Dietetics description
    Spring 2022 Timothy Groulx MUE3392 Managing Music Classrooms and Program Administration Music description
    Fall 2021 David MacKinnon ENC3246 Professional Communication: Engineering English description
    Spring 2020 Georgette Dumont PAD4144 Nonprofit Management Political Science and Public Administration description
    Spring 2020 Chitra Balasubramanian PHT6606C Foundations of Evidence-Based Practice Clinical & Applied Movement Sciences description
    Fall 2021 Cynthia Williams HSA3191 Health Information Technology Health Administration description
    Spring 2021 Christine Weber EDE6225 Elementary School Curriculum and Instruction Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum description
    Fall 2020 Yunjeong Mo BCN4587C Green Construction and Sustainability Construction Management description
    Fall 2020 Elizabeth Brown SOP3004 Social Psychology Psychology description
    Spring 2020 Nancy Soderberg INR3016 Global Issues Political Science and Public Administration description
    Spring 2020 Joshua Smith PSY4935 Psychology and Video Games Psychology description
    Spring 2020 Joshua Smith PSY2012 Introduction to Psychology Psychology description
    Spring 2020 Joshua Smith PSY3213 Research Methods in Psychology Psychology description
    Spring 2020 David Deeley MMC3200 Law and Ethics of Communication Communication description
    Fall 2020 Siho Nam COM4430 International Communication Communication description
    Spring 2021 Anne E. Pfister ANT3514 Principles of Physical Anthropology Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work description
    Spring 2020 Heather Truelove PSY3021 Professional Opportunities in Psychology Psychology description
    Fall 2020 Tulika Varma PUR4400 Crisis Communication Communication description
    Summer 2020 Doug Titus ISM4011 Introduction to Management Information Systems Management description
    Fall 2020 Julie Merten IDH2934 Social Media, Health, and Society Public Health description
    Summer 2019 Dag Naslund MAN3504 Operations Management Management description
    Spring 2020 Tes Tuason MHS6070 Psychopathology Public Health description
    Spring 2020 Jeffrey Cornett EDG3323 Learning Process Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum description
    Fall 2019 Caroline Guardino EHD4311 Psychology and Education of the Deaf Exceptional, Deaf, and Interpreter Education description
    Fall 2019 Tia Kimball TSL4340 Methods and Curriculum Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum description
    Fall 2019 Nuria Ibáñez SPN4400 Advanced Spanish Composition Languages, Literatures and Cultures description
    Fall 2019 Tara Kelley ENC1101 Rhetoric and Writing English description
    Summer 2020 Will Pewitt ENC3250 Professional Communications in the Social Sciences English description
    Fall 2020 Hope E. Wilson EDF3151 Educational Psychology Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum description
    Fall 2019 Justin Zhang ISM6021 Management of Information Technology Management description
    Spring 2020 Hanadi Hamadi HSA3430 Health Economics and Quantitative Analysis Health Administration description
    Fall 2019 Erin Bodnar MUG4302 Advanced Instructional Conducting Music description
    Fall 2019 Erin Bodnar MUG3104 Basic Conducting Music description
    Fall 2019 Anita Fuglestad DEP3054 Lifespan Development Psychology description
    Fall 2019 Ronghua Ouyang EDG6626 Curriculum and Instruction for Adult Learning Leadership, Counseling, and Sports Management description
    Fall 2019 Jody Nicholson DEP3054 Lifespan Development Psychology description
    Spring 2020 Nataliya Roman MMC3614 Media Theories and Effects Communication description
    Spring 2020 C. Dominik Güss PSY3021 Professional Opportunities in Psychology Psychology

    description

    Fall 2019 Paul Fuglestad SOP3214C Experimental Social Psychology Psychology

    description

    Fall 2019 Craig Hargis CGN3501C Civil Engineering Materials Construction Management

    description

    Fall 2019 Hope Wilson EDF4444 Assessment of Learning and Behavior Foundations and Secondary Education

    description

    Fall 2019 Traci Mathies SPC2608 Fundamentals of Public Speaking Communication

    description

    Fall 2019 Anne E. Pfister ANT2000 Introduction to Anthropology Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work

    description

    Fall 2019 Elizabeth R. Brown SOP3723 Culture and Psychology Psychology

    description

    Fall 2019 Priscilla Berry ENC3250 Professional Communications English

    description

    Spring 2019 Curtis Phills SOP3515 Fundamentals of Conflict Transformation Psychology

    description

    Spring 2019 Adam Rosenblatt PCB3043C Principles of Ecology Biology

    description

    Spring 2019 Amanda Pascale EDH6635 Organization and Leadership in Higher Education Leadership, School Counseling, and Sport Management

    description

    Spring 2019 Chunsik Lee MMC5267 Current Issues in Emerging Media Communication

    description

    Fall 2019 Cynthia Williams GEY4660 Aging Policy and Politics Health Administration

    description

    Fall 2019 Hanadi Hamadi HSA4150 Introduction to Health Policy Public Health

    description

    Spring 2019 Sam Mathies SPC4064 Public Speaking for Professionals Communication

    description

    Fall 2018 Jennifer Wolff DEP3054 Lifespan Development Psychology

    description

    Fall 2018 Elizabeth Stotz-Potter PCB4843 Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience Biology

    description

    Fall 2018 Juliana Leding PSY2012 Introduction to Psychology Psychology

    description

    Fall 2018 Jason Lee SPM5206 Ethics and Issues in Sports Leadership, School Counseling, and Sport Management

    description

    Fall 2018 John Frank LDR4263 Leadership Practicum Leadership, School Counseling, and Sport Management

    description

    Summer 2018 John Hewitt AST2002 Basic Astronomy Physics

    description

    Summer 2018 Chiu Choi EEL3111 Circuit Analysis I Engineering

    description

blue beginning quotation mark

"The academic culture and tradition is what drives the notion that a textbook is a necessity. When we free ourselves from that linear thinking--that course instruction must look a certain way-- it is surprising how little the textbook is missed and other forms of pedagogy can better promote student engagement, learning, and success."


Amanda Pascale, OER Initiative Participant

blue end quotation mark
OER Impact Data Infographic These calculations are based on a five-year average from 2018-2024. [4]
Full description of infographic [5]

New UNF OER Initiatives

  • REVIEW - EDUCATIONAL MEDIA KIT ($200 VALUE)
    The Open Textbook Review is a great starting place for someone new to the world of OER. This simply involves participation in a single workshop where you will learn how to find OE resources in your field. At the conclusion of the workshop, you will be provided instructions for writing a review of an open textbook. If you choose to write and submit this review, you will receive an educational media kit worth $200 for your participation. These reviews will be compiled and used to benefit other faculty considering the adoption of open textbooks. This workshop is open to anyone at UNF, to participate. However, the Educational Media Kit is only available for UNF faculty members who write a review of an open textbook after attending this event. Please contact Rob Rose at r.rose@unf.edu for enrollment information.

    Note: Participants in this workshop are not required to write a review; it is only required if they would like to receive the media kit.
  • RETAIN & REUSE - $500-$1000
    Proposals in this category will replace their course materials using existing OERs or library materials. This would include faculty who find a comprehensive textbook or resource in the library or an existing open access ebook (OpenStax, OTN, Lumen, etc.). This would also include instances where faculty curate their own collection of OER and OA materials for use in the course when a comprehensive OER textbook is not available.

    Note: If 10 or fewer resources are used in the course redesign, this would fall into the Retain & Reuse Tier 1 category and participants would receive a $500 stipend. If more than 10 resources are used in the course redesign, this would fall into the Retain & Reuse Tier 2 category and participants would receive a $1000 stipend.
  • REVISE & REMIX - $1000
    Proposals in this category will redesign their course materials using OERs that require faculty to revise and/or remix content to fit their needs. This could include using Pressbooks to remix an existing Openstax book but revising chapters and adding knowledge check questions, videos, and/or interactive elements. Another example might include using Pressbooks to compile a textbook for advanced biology by revising or remixing openly available chapters from various resources.
  • AUTHOR - $2000
    Proposals in this category will redesign their course materials by creating a new open educational resource where there is currently no sufficient OER available to meet the learning objectives. An example might include authoring a new openly licensed textbook or collaborating with students on the creation of a new textbook.

    For additional information on the types of projects that fall into each category, see this Additional Examples document.

    If you are interested in participating in the Retain & Reuse, Revise & Remix, or Author categories of the OER Initiative, complete all areas of the online application.

    Note: If you are interested in using Pressbooks to author and create your own content, but you are looking at a smaller scale project than a comprehensive textbook, CIRT can still assist you with that project. In order to qualify for receiving the $2000 stipend, the project you author must be associated with at least 50% of the content in your course.

    To explore the creation of a smaller scale project using Pressbooks, reach out to Rob Rose at r.rose@unf.edu.
  • 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 the department chair.
    • Proposals must include a description of the impact of financial savings for students.
    • Courses already using open access materials exclusively or courses where the instructional materials are already under $25 are not eligible.
  • SUPPORT FOR SELECTED PROPOSALS +

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

    • Kick-off Meeting/Introduction to Open Educational Resources (synchronous )

    An additional synchronous session will be held for participants mid-way through the project in order to debrief their experiences and address challenges that have arisen along the way.

    Faculty can expect to meet with an instructional designer and online learning librarian to:

    • Discuss the needs of their content and explore open access repositories and authoring platforms
    • Review library search strategies and available databases
    • Access course templates to structure OER content in Canvas
    • Review accessibility best practices
  • REPORTING +

    Awardees will be required to:

    • Meet with instructional designers and online learning librarians to discuss open licensing, and outline technological, pedagogical, and research support.
    • Redesign the selected course, so that all required textbooks are available at no cost to students and the cost of any other supplementary instructional materials does not exceed $25.
    • 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.
    • Deposit any openly licensed materials created into an appropriate open repository (e.g. UNF Pressbooks Directory, Canvas Commons).
  • INCENTIVES +

How to Apply

  • Complete all areas of the online application.
  • If you know you are interested in the OER Initiative, but unsure about which category you would fall under, select the option in the application that says, “I’m unsure which category I would fall under.”
  • You will be required to submit a letter of support from your academic chair through the application.
  • Please contact Rob Rose at r.rose@unf.edu for enrollment information.

If your proposal is approved, you will receive an email with instructions for beginning the project. Please email r.rose@unf.edu with any questions.

A limited number of participants will be selected for each category of involvement each year. Proposals not completed within one year of acceptance may be disqualified from receiving a stipend.

Please review the important dates posted and choose a cohort for which you can attend the required synchronous kick-off meeting.

The content development term is the term that you will work to identify and select OER content, while the course delivery term refers to when the course will be taught using the selected OER content.

Cohort Applications Due Kick-Off Meeting
Summer 2024 May 22, 2024 June 14, 2024
1:00-2:30pm
Fall 2024 September 25, 2024 October 11, 2024
1:00-2:30pm
Spring 2025 January 22, 2025 February 7, 2025
1:00-2:30pm

Documenting OER Efforts

A critical part of sustaining Open Educational Resources (OER) in higher education is recognizing the contributions by instructors who locate, identify, improve, and create materials as part of their professional work. In order to aid this effort, Driving OER Sustainability for Student Success (DOERS3) has developed an adaptable advisory model to help guide faculty as they attempt to include their OER work in their tenure and promotion portfolios. This model is in no way exhaustive and will likely be most useful as a way for faculty to start thinking about how to best highlight and describe their OER work into their local P&T guidelines.

Each P&T process is based on one’s departmental guidelines. Although individual departments may differ from this matrix in its use of these categories, most variations of tenure and promotion guidelines can be adapted to teaching, research, and service.

While few institutions have recognized open educational practices as deliverables toward tenure and promotion, faculty, in documenting their OER work in their portfolios, should characterize their work using terms that aid their colleagues in understanding their contribution.

For each contribution, we have suggested whether the contribution could apply to those three categories, and in some cases, we have marked multiple categories--which is most relevant will depend upon the context. In addition, the matrix includes examples of how faculty might think strategically about where their open education contributions would be valued most and how best to frame those contributions. Where it is applicable, we have added brief examples of language from sample dossiers to demonstrate what this type of evidence might look like.

  • ADOPT +
    Contribution Evidence Research Teaching Service
    Use OER in a class or classes
    Use OER in a class or classes
    For participants in the OER Initiative here at UNF, the evidence used in the P/T dossier might include the narrative summarizing the challenges and accomplishments of their experiences finding and using OER materials, its impact on teaching, impact on students, and lessons learned.

    Survey and gather data on how the use of an OER in class affected student learning. A similar study was conducted in British Columbia as well as in the United States via the Open Education Research Group.
    Use OER in a class or classes
    Yes
    Use Open Access research article
    Use Open Access research article
    Provide evidence of the Open Access Journal Articles that were used in course outline.
    Use Open Access research article
    Yes

    To view an example of a dossier integrating the adoption and use of existing OER, see example 1.

  • ADAPT +
    Contribution Evidence Research Teaching Service
    Revise others’ OER to be more relevant to student needs
    Revise others’ OER to be more relevant to student needs
    Survey students in class to learn more about the impact the revised materials have had on their learning. A similar study was conducted in British Columbia.
    Revise others’ OER to be more relevant to student needs
    Yes
    Revise others’ OER to be more relevant to student needs
    Yes
    Revise or remix OER to be in alignment with course learning outcomes
    Revise or remix OER to be in alignment with course learning outcomes
    Provide evidence on what was revised or remixed to best suit the course learning outcomes. Survey students in class to learn about the impact the revised materials had on their learning.
    Revise or remix OER to be in alignment with course learning outcomes
    Yes
  • CREATE +
    Contribution Evidence Research Teaching Service
    Make new OER
    Make new OER
    When creating OER, make it available to peers for their review. Document their reviews and include those reviews in your dossier. The following is a common rubric used to review Open Textbooks.
    Yes Yes

    To view an example of a dossier integrating the adoption and use of existing OER, see example 2.

  • IMPROVE LEARNING +
    Contribution Evidence Research Teaching Service
    Improve student outcomes
    Make new OER
    To best understand the improvement of student outcomes, increased student engagement, innovation, and reduction in cost- survey students in your course. Review the survey and questions conducted in A multi-institutional study of the impact of open textbook adoption on the learning outcomes of post-secondary students.
    Make new OER
    Yes
    Innovation
    Innovation
    Yes
    Increasing student engagement
    Increasing student engagement
    Yes
    Reduce material costs to students
    Reduce material costs to students
    Yes
  • COMMUNITY +
    Contribution Evidence Research Teaching Service
    Mentoring others in OER
    Mentoring others in OER
    Provide recommendation letters from mentorships and via the mentee.
    Mentoring others in OER
    Yes
    OER leadership (change culture, policy change, lead an initiative)
    OER leadership (change culture, policy change, lead an initiative)
    Provide a list of committees and specific actions you took related to OER and committee work. For tasks led, describe the initiative, provide evidence of change, and seek references and recommendation on the work completed.
    OER leadership (change culture, policy change, lead an initiative)
    Yes
    Disseminate knowledge about OER
    Disseminate knowledge about OER
    Provide list of workshops, webinars, presentations related to OER and OE advocacy.
    Disseminate knowledge about OER
    Yes
    Peer review existing OER
    Peer review existing OER
    Provide citations of the reviews conducted.
    Peer review existing OER
    Yes
    Peer review existing OER
    Yes
  • RESEARCH +
    Contribution Evidence Research Teaching Service
    Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) about OER
    Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) about OER
    Provide citations and links to work completed related to SOTL and OER.
    Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) about OER
    Yes
    Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL) about OER
    Yes
    Conference Presentations
    Conference Presentations
    Provide citations, links, recordings, and slides of the work done to disseminate OER knowledge.
    Conference Presentations
    Yes
    Conference Presentations
    Yes
    Grant writing
    Grant writing
    Provide excerpts from grant proposals, including budgetary asks and narrative as to how the grant will benefit the department and/or institution.
    Grant writing
    Yes
    Grant writing
    Yes



Resources

[1] https://sparcopen.org/open-education/

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

[3] https://dlss.flvc.org/documents/210036/1314923/Textbook+Survey+2022+Executive+Summary.pdf

[4] In Spring 2024, CIRT transitioned to a new methodology for calculating overall cost savings. Previously, this value was hand-calculated course-by-course each semester. The new method involves using an average per-student value for OER savings. $116 was used based on the mean value for UNF OER courses from 2018-2024. This amount was validated by Nyamweya (2018), who conducted a nationally-representative study to estimate OER savings.

[5] As of Fall 2024: 125 faculty and 28 academic departments at UNF have participated in OER, helping 13,000 students save over $1.5 million.

Prior to adopting OER materials, the average textbook cost was $116.