Open Educational Resources Development Grant

The UNBC Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology and Geoffrey Weller Library are pleased to announce the UNBC Open Educational Resources (OER) Grant.

Made possible with support from BCCampus and the UNBC Office of the Provost, the grants are intended to be used to hire a UNBC student to engage in research to support faculty members’ adaptation and/or adoption of open educational resources.

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and repurposing by others. Open educational resources include full courses, course materials, modules, open textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge.

Objectives of the Grant Program

  • We will have created increased opportunities for students to engage in project-based research with a faculty member
  • By the end of the project we will have supported faculty members in the review, revision, and adoption of open textbooks and other OER materials.
  • By the end of this project we will have increased use of open textbooks and OER at UNBC resulting in enhanced access for student and reduced textbook and class material costs.

Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Curation and customization of OER that will be freely and openly shared throughout and beyond UNBC
  • Impact on student experience, including high-quality materials, maximum access, open and innovative pedagogy, and cost savings to students
  • Active engagement of students with faculty in the adaptation/adoption of open educational resources (OER)
  • Plans to re-use open resources in this or related courses in subsequent semesters

Expectations of Grant Recipients

  • Participation in evaluation of the effectiveness and process of implementing OERs, including impact on student learning
  • Sharing of experience with interested colleagues at UNBC events arranged by the Library and/or the CTLT, and agreement that the end product will be open and accessible

Additional Support for Grant Applicants

The UNBC CTLT and Geoffrey Weller Library can provide further information on open textbooks and open educational resources to any prospective applicant. We will also provide a workshop on Open Textbooks and OERs in both the fall and winter.

The UNBC CTLT and UNBC Library will provide in-kind supports for successful grant applicants in locating, evaluating and adapting high-quality OER as an alternative to expensive commercial course materials.

Who may apply and student eligibility?

Faculty members in tenured or tenure track appointments, Librarians, Post-Doctoral Fellows full-time term faculty and SLIs with a research component may apply for this grant.

Faculty members are not required to have a student researcher identified in their application. Faculty may hire either undergraduate or graduate students. Funding of students will be managed by the CTLT.

Each grant is valued at 1500.00 for one semester or 3000.00 for two semesters.  There is a limit of one grant per faculty member per semester.

UNBC OER Grant Selection Committee

An adjudication committee will be chaired by the Director of the Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology and/or the University Librarian, will include the Elearning Coordinator and and include one faculty member from each College.

The UNBC OER Development Grants are funded by the UNBC Centre for Teaching, Learning, and Technology and the UNBC Library with support from BCCampus.

Application and Deadlines

Please complete the online application form by Friday, February 2, 2024.

If you have any questions, please contact Grant Potter, Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology at gpotter@unbc.ca.