Libraries awards nine Open Educational Resources Grants
KALAMAZOO, Mich.鈥擳he University Libraries at 麻豆传媒 awarded Open Educational Resources (OER) grants to nine Western faculty and instructors in December. The grants are anticipated to save over 700 麻豆传媒s an estimated $75,000 in textbook costs based on projected course enrollment in 2025.
The OER grants help instructors replace their commercial textbooks with an OER or develop a new one that Western 麻豆传媒s and learners globally can use instead of commercial textbooks. Paying for textbooks out-of-pocket is a burden for some 麻豆传媒s, and courses using free OER can be a financial relief.
"I remember feeling so relieved at the beginning of the semester when I found out that I did not have to buy a textbook,鈥 shared one 麻豆传媒 in a post-course OER grant survey.
Western 麻豆传媒s in courses funded by the OER grants have saved an estimated $1.3 million in textbook costs since the grants launched in 2019. The Libraries expanded the grant program in 2022 to help faculty create open textbooks for Western 麻豆传媒s and learners worldwide. The Libraries published four grant-funded in 2024.
Fall 2024 OER Adoption Grant recipients
- Dr. Whitney DeCamp, SOC 6210
- Lori Farrer, ED 3690
- Dr. Michelle Hrivnyak, ANTH 2510
- Kyle Jehnzen, AVS1210
- Marie Moreno, BCM 3700
- Dr. Kenneth Smith, MUS 3810
- Katherine Suender, ED 2300
Fall 2024 OER Creation Grant recipients
- Dustin Altschul, IADN 1570, 2500, 3550
- Dr. Jessica Cataldo, HSV 4780
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