WVU Libraries

West Virginia University Libraries and the Teaching and Learning Commons (TLC) are partnering to support the use of and the development of Open Educational Resources (OER) through a grant program for instructors.

The grant’s aim is to encourage development of alternatives to high-cost textbooks, lower the cost of college attendance for students, and support faculty who wish to implement new pedagogical models for classroom instruction.

“Textbook affordability is a very real issue for many students, and we’re excited to see WVU supporting instructors in offering low-cost, or no cost, options for our students.  There is a wide variety of high-quality, free resources available for faculty to consider and we look forward to partnering on these projects from a teaching and learning perspective.” Dr. Keith Bailey, assistant provost for Teaching and Learning and dean of WVU Online.

Grants will be awarded in one of three categories: Incorporate, Innovate and Create.

Incorporate

Proposals in this category will replace an existing commercial textbook with a no- or low-cost alternative such that total textbook costs for the course are less than $50. Priority will be given to proposals that utilize existing openly licensed materials which impact the largest amount of students. Example: Use an Open Textbook Network mathematics textbook in Math 121. These grants will range from $300 to $500.

Innovate

Proposals in this category will replace a commercial textbook with an open textbook and use freely licensed materials to bridge the gap in available resources through remix of new and/or existing openly licensed content. Example: Compile an introductory textbook for genetics by incorporating revised openly available works with chapters from an OER commons textbook and create ancillary materials and homework. These grants will range from $1,500 to $2500.

Create

Proposals in this category will create a new OER where there is currently no sufficient OER available to meet your learning objectives. Examples: Author a new openly licensed textbook or collaborate with students on the creation of a new textbook. These grants will range from $2,500 to $3,500.

Proposal can be submitted at this website before the February 28 deadline.

The OER Committee, which worked to develop the grants, will evaluate and select proposals based on detailed project description and scope, and potential impact on the student experience and total projected cost savings to student. The committee will recognize those selected at a campus event on May 8.

Awardees agree to use their textbooks in courses taught in fall 2019 or spring 2020, and then submit a course review/report.

Available support resources will include consultations with a TLC Instructional Designer to discuss options to utilize OER materials in alignment with course objectives and with a liaison librarian to assist in finding content, analyzing rights, and more.

Participation Requirements

• Sign/agree to a grant award letter and contract.
• Attend a post award half-day workshop to learn about ways to locate OERs, discuss open licensing and copyright, and answer questions about technological and research support.
• Write a final grant report that includes a narrative summarizing the accomplishments and challenges of your experience using the materials as well as the impact on your teaching and student performance. 
• Provide a copy of previous and current syllabus showing incorporation of OER material.
• Participate in at least one faculty interview or focus group.
• Participate in assessment of the grant program.
• Survey students at the end of the semester in which you utilize the new course materials to assess their experience.
• Deposit any openly licensed materials created, including syllabus, into an appropriate open repository (e.g. the Research Repository @ WVU).
• License developed materials with an appropriate Creative Commons license of the grantee’s choice. 
• Participate in the WVUL/TLC OER Grant Poster Presentation during Open Education Week, March 2020 and deposit posters in the Research Repository @ WVU.  

Attribution UMass Library Open Education Initiative