Call for OER Grant Proposals

This opportunity is available to faculty/instructors in any discipline at any of Utah State University's statewide campuses.

USU Libraries, Academic and Instructional Services (AIS) and colleges across campus are pleased to share this call for proposals for projects that adopt, adapt, or create Open Educational Resources (OER) for courses at USU. OER are cost-free course materials that include permission to adapt and reuse. Examples of OER include, but are not limited to: textbooks, videos, assessment tools, research materials, or interactive course modules.

The goal of the Grant Program is to remove barriers to student success by encouraging instructors to utilize or create OER that reduce the cost of course material, improve learning outcomes, and support USU’s Principles of Community and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility priority. Learn more about successful grant projects and their impact at USU.

Grants are offered in the following categories:

Adopt

Adopt an existing textbook or other educational resource which significantly reduces costs for students.

Funded at up to $500

Adapt

Adapt one or more existing OER, customized to your instructional needs.

Funded at up to $1,000

Create

Create or author new learning materials that will be licensed openly.

Funded at up to $3,000

Grant Applications

The OER Grant Application portal opens February 1, 2022. The grant committee will begin reviewing proposals on March 1, 2022 and will begin notifying applicants after April 1, 2022. The portal will remain open until available funds are allocated.

Before submitting a proposal, interested parties are encouraged to schedule a consultation with the OER Program team who can answer questions and complete a preliminary search to help you identify existing OER that align with your course goals.

Call for Proposals

Applications are not currently being accepted.

Preparing Your Proposal

To apply for an OER Grant, please have the following information ready:

Your department, campus affiliation, role (instructor, staff, other) and contact information
Names, roles, and a brief description of any collaborators
Project title and type (Adopt, Adapt, Create)
Name/number/title and delivery method of course in which you will use OER
Average course size
Number of course sections taught each year
Which semesters you plan to use the OER
Title, ISBN and cost of course material to be replaced by OER
Project summary that includes:
- A) Rationale for applying for the OER Grant, including amount of funding needed and how that funding will be used
- B) Anticipated timeline of grant project, including milestones towards completion and expected implementation semester
- C) A description of how the use of open resources will improve your course
- D) A description of how your project will contribute to the open education community
A letter of support for your project, signed by your Dean and Department Head

Any questions or concerns can be sent to oer@usu.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will my proposal be evaluated?

Proposals will be evaluated by their potential to reduce student expense, by their feasibility/sustainability, and by how they will contribute to the open education community, particularly in regard to cultural relevance and inclusivity. Preference may be given to required general education courses, to courses selecting OER as their primary text, and to colleges/departments adopting or using OER for the first time.

How will grant funding be disbursed?

Payment will be made in installments based on the achievement of milestones outlined in the customized timeline of each grant proposal

Proposals selected to adopt OER will receive full payment after we receive confirmation that the grant recipient has submitted the USU Textbook Form listing their selected OER.

Proposals selected to adapt or create OER will receive the final disbursement after grant recipients openly share their completed OER, submit a copy to the library for preservation, and after we receive confirmation that a USU Textbook Form listing their adapted/created OER has been submitted to the campus store.

How can grant funding be used?

Grant funds can be taken as a stipend or used to pay for aspects of OER Development including, but not limited to; materials, licensing fees, or student assistants.

What are the requirements for grant recipients?

Projects that include cross-institution collaboration will be considered, but main applicant must be an instructor at Utah State University. In addition, recipients must:

Attend OER Grant orientation/training
Work with the Library and the Center for Innovative Design and Instruction (CIDI) to develop a timeline of deliverables and a payment schedule
Participate in a minimum of 1 check in meeting per semester of your grant project, not including final meeting at the project’s conclusion
Ensure all content, including text, images, and other media used in the OER is covered by an open-copyright license (Creative Commons), in the public domain, or used with the expressed consent of the copyright holder and includes clear references and attributions
Organize open textbooks into chapters and include: (1) table of contents, (2) chapter learning outcomes, (3), learning activities
Ensure that your OER has been proof-read or copyedited
Share your work with an appropriate open license so that others can easily adopt, remix, or reuse
Provide necessary metadata so that your OER can be shared through external repositories
Deposit the most appropriate version of your OER into USU's Institutional Repository, USU Digital Commons
Assist USU Libraries in publicizing your work and promoting the use of OER. This could mean participating in webinars, workshops, and professional meetings, or giving a presentation to your department/college
Teach the course at least two times using the newly adopted/created OER

What is the timeline?

Each project will have its own deadlines and benchmarks that can be determined on a case-by-case basis and which should be outlined in the proposal.

Project timelines may vary, but all projects must be incorporated into the curriculum by the end of 2023. Instructors must teach with grant-funded OER at least twice.

What support will I receive?

Grant recipients will receive individualized consulting with the OER Program Team, who can help identify open educational resources that meet your learning outcomes and discuss strategies for openly distributing and publishing your resource. You will also receive a determined number of work hours from OER program assistants who can offer services such as copyright checks, resource searches, copyediting and proof-reading, and general guidance.

Accepted proposals will receive technical support from instructional designers at CIDI to help effectively incorporate their open educational resources into Canvas.

Upon completion of a successful grant project, you will receive a letter of commendation from the Dean of Libraries detailing the impact of your project.

Still have questions?

To ask questions or to schedule a preliminary consultation, contact the OER Program Team at oer@usu.edu