Eight Western instructors awarded grants to adopt Open Educational Resources
KALAMAZOO, Mich.鈥擳he University Libraries at 麻豆传媒 awarded eight Open Educational Resources (OER) Adoption Grants to instructors in April. The grants are anticipated to save over 1,240 麻豆传媒s in 11 courses an estimated $100,000 in textbook costs based on projected summer and fall 2024 and spring 2025 course enrollment.
The OER Adoption Grants support WMU instructors in switching from a commercial textbook to free, high-quality online resources. Open Educational Resources are openly licensed teaching and learning resources that are free to access, use, adapt and redistribute.
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 the first grant-funded open textbooks earlier in April.
Western 麻豆传媒s taking a course with a grant-funded OER textbook say they appreciate the ease of access and 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 survey.
鈥淚t makes me feel like the professor truly cares about their 麻豆传媒s and wants everyone to succeed, not just the 麻豆传媒s who can afford the textbook. I know that there are cheap options out there, such as renting, but sometimes finding and buying the right textbooks can be a huge stressor."
SPRING 2024 OER ADOPTION GRANT RECIPIENTS
- Lori Brown, AVS 3080
- Dr. David Code, MUS 1620 and MUS 1630
- Mandy Cox, SWRK 3510
- Dr. Gary Marquardt, AAAS 2000
- Dr. Shannon McMorrow, MPH 6050 and PH 2320
- Dr. John Saillant, HIST 4245 and HIST 6200
- Dr. Zoann Synder, SOC 3140
- Anthony Wilburn, MATH 1160
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