Affordable Access for Student Success: An OER Learning Community

Open educational resources (OERs) have flourished as institutions and educators respond to soaring textbook costs and the potential for teaching with customized, free online resources. To promote the adoption of OERs at the University of Florida, Affordable UF is now accepting applications for a learning community to be held in Spring/Fall 2021. The application deadline is September 25th, 2020.

About the program

This year-long program will develop a small cohort of instructors committed to the development of free, open course materials through intensive training and mentorship. Over the course of the program, participants will develop an initial prototype for an OER, as well as a long-term project plan. This may take the form of a chapter of a longer text, a standalone module, or an adaptation of an existing course to incorporate only open materials. We especially encourage projects that strive to develop more culturally responsive, anti-racist, and inclusive course materials, as well as those that aim to create free alternatives for currently high-cost courses (more than $60 per student).

The program is supported by the Libraries in partnership with the Center for Teaching Excellence, Center for Instructional Training and Technology, and University Press of Florida. Experts from these units will work closely with participants throughout the program. External guest advisors will complement expertise available at UF.

The community will address four primary objectives:

• Introduce members to OERs, including best practices for development and the ways in which free, open materials promote student success;
• Provide training on relevant copyright issues, accessible design, and using the PressBooks publishing software platform and other technologies;
• Support faculty participants in developing a design and project plan for an OER, as well as an initial portion of the work such as a chapter or module; and
• Connect instructors with both internal and external expertise to facilitate successful adoption and evaluation of OERs.

Outputs will be published as a collection of resources by LibraryPress@UF, an imprint of the Libraries and University Press of Florida.

Eligibility and stipend

Instructors designated as faculty or staff are welcome to apply. Students are not currently eligible for this program. Participants will receive a $1000 professional development stipend. Participants will retain copyright to their materials and all resources will be released under a Creative Commons license to encourage peer adaptation and reuse across institutions.

Review criteria

1. Demonstrates potential impact, including such factors as number of students who might use OER, lack of other free alternatives, or need to develop more inclusive materials for a course.
2. Clearly describes interest in and commitment to developing open educational resources.
3. Potential for other instructors at UF or other institutions to adapt or build upon proposed OER.

Questions?

Email Scholarly Communications Librarian Perry Collins (perrycollins@ufl.edu) with questions about the program.