LTLC, the Wallace Library, and the Provost's Office are pleased to announce the following funding opportunity for instructors interested in replacing textbooks or other course materials with Open Textbooks or other Open Educational Resources (OER) during the Spring 2023, Summer 2023, Fall 2023, and Winter 2024 semesters. LTLC recognizes the effort required to research and implement the use of OER and will award stipends as follows:

*ADOPTION of a single textbook or a few OER: $500 to a single faculty member or $1000 to a group of two or more faculty (to be apportioned at the discretion of the group).  
*REMIX a set of OER: $750 to a single faculty member or $1500 to a group of two or more faculty (to be apportioned at the discretion of the group.)
*AUTHOR an OER: $1250 to a single faculty member or $2500 to a group of two or more faculty (to be apportioned at the discretion of the group.)

Priority will be given to applications that directly support the adoption, remixing, or authoring of OER for an element of the Compass Curriculum, such as two or more connected FYE courses, a sophomore experience (SE) course, or courses/experiences which contribute to LEAPS.

R&I liaisons are available to help identify potential OER, and applicants are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to have identified possible sources prior to submitting an application and to have consulted with an R&I liaison.

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research materials that reside in the public domain or have been released under a Creative Commons or other open license. OERs are free, so their use in the classroom can significantly reduce textbook costs for students. Under some licenses, users have permission to remix, revise, and redistribute the content of open materials.

OER-adjacent materials are teaching, learning, and research materials that have been released under a restrictive license that can be accessed for free either by the creator or through a library subscription. Like with traditional OER materials, use of OER-adjacent materials can significantly reduce costs for students. Unlike traditional OER materials, OER-adjacent ones cannot be remixed, revised, and redistributed.

Using an open textbook or another OER has a number of advantages, the most important of which is creating a more equitable classroom by removing financial barriers for students. The Wallace Library has a dedicated webpage to help you find OER alternatives, and we encourage you to consult with one of the R&I liaisons for additional resources: https://library.wheatoncollege.edu/oer/guide/home

The deadline to apply is 5:00pm on Monday, March 20, 2023.

By the end of the semester in which the course is taught, award recipients must submit a report detailing which OER were adopted, remixed, or authored and how successfully they were implemented. Funds will be distributed AFTER the course using the OER has been successfully completed and the report has been received. Due to the end of the fiscal year, reports for the 2022-2023 academic year must received no later than May 19, 2023. Please be aware that the content of your written report may be used in future library-sponsored workshops and promotional materials.