Each semester, the University of Arkansas Libraries and Global Campus offer faculty compensation and support to reduce the cost of textbooks for their students by using open educational resources. The fall 2023 Call for Proposals is open through Friday, Nov. 10.
Faculty can apply to the Course Materials Conversion Program to receive extra compensation. Successful applicants can receive $4,500 for adapting open educational resources or $7,500 for creating their own. Visit the Open Educational Resources webpage to learn more about the program and the differences between these two options.
“In addition to being fully customizable and continuously updatable, Open Educational Resources ease the financial burden that can be a barrier to the pursuit of higher education,” said Jason Battles, dean of libraries. “We want to see every student at the U of A complete their degree program, and the cost savings they benefit from in courses that utilize open materials in lieu of expensive textbooks increase their likelihood of success.”
Potential participants may find the application on the OER Course Materials Conversion Program website and will have until Friday, Nov. 10, to complete applications. Submitted project applications are reviewed and scored by the Open Educational Resources Team and the campus advisory group. Consultations with Christine Rickabaugh, who recently joined the University Libraries as open education librarian, may be requested at any time in the process.
The OER Course Materials Conversion Program began providing funding to faculty in 2017. More than 3,200 students were impacted by the use of open educational resources during the fall 2023 semester, collectively saving students more than $250,000.
“Beyond the cost savings for students, open educational resources are easily edited or remixed, so faculty can align materials with course objectives and incorporate local examples or case studies that can increase student engagement,” Rickabaugh said. “I’m excited to be a part of this work!”