As part of UNT's support for affordability, the UNT Libraries is pleased to announce a call for applications for OER Grants to support projects to support use of open educational resources (OER) in UNT courses. This program, formerly called "OER Summer Grants", supports UNT faculty who do one or both of the following for a course that they expect to teach at UNT in the future:

• newly adopt or adapt an openly licensed textbook or other OER
• adopt, adapt, or create ancillary materials to an existing open textbook or other OER

The UNT Libraries can offer options for sharing newly created OER.

Eligibility

All full-time faculty (tenured, tenure-track, and lecturers) who would normally teach a course using a conventional textbook (that students must purchase or rent in print or electronically) are eligible to apply for a grant. However, for projects involving a course offered in multiple sections, the application must come from the course coordinator.

Intellectual Property

While merely adopting OER without modifying it does not lead the creation of any new intellectual property, adapting (modifying) existing OER or creating new material implicates UNT's policies on intellectual property.  Recipients receiving a grant to adapt material or create new material will need to do one of the following:

• For courses taught at least 50% online, awardees will need work with DSI CLEAR to determine the appropriate category under UNT's Online Courseware Intellectual Property policy for work produced as part of this project. This must be done before accepting the award and beginning work.
• For other courses, awardees will need to disclose their planned work to Research Commercial Agreements to create a record of the new work owned by UNT, as required by UNT's Research Intellectual Property policy. This new work, except any answer keys meant for instructors, must be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International license, and a copy of the final product must be provided to Research Commercial Agreements for their records.

Other grant terms

Task payments of $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the amount of effort expected in adopting, adapting, or creating instructional material, will be awarded following the completion of work during a negotiated timeframe ending by August 1, 2023. 

For courses taught at least 50% online, CLEAR will offer the assistance of an instructional design consultant for awardees planning to adapt existing material.

Recipients are expected to share their work products not only with UNT students through Canvas but also make them freely available and discoverable online. The UNT Libraries can offer options for sharing newly created OER. In addition, recipients are expected to present on their experiences during an event organized by the UNT Libraries to celebrate a future Open Education Week.

How to apply

To apply, please fill out the application form. [Applications are closed for FY22]

A committee of representatives from the UNT Libraries, the Office of the Core Curriculum, and DSI CLEAR review applications on a rolling basis, giving preference to applications that are expected to deliver the greatest cost savings to students (the number of students expected to enroll, multiplied by the average cost of the book being replaced).

If you have questions, please contact scholarlycommunication@unt.edu

Interested instead in creating a new open textbook? See UNT Open Texts!

Past recipients

2022

• Junhua Ding (Information Science) for INFO 5505
• Shannon Geary (Intensive English Language Institute) for IELI 2032
• Jae Webb (Management) for MGMT 5710 and MGMT 3880
• Rong Zhang (Chemistry) for CHEM 1410 and 1420
• Jill Harold (Intensive English Language Institute) for IELI 1012
• Laura Rios (Intensive English Language Institute) for IELI 4100 and 4062
• Priscilla Connors (Merchandising, Hospitality, and Tourism) for HMGT 1450
• Federico Llach (Music) for MUCO 1200

2021

• Renee Bryce (Computer Science and Engineering) for CSCE 5430
• Jesse Hamner (UNT at Frisco) for ACSO4410, ACSO4510, and ACSO4610 (incomplete)
• Jill Harold (Intensive English Language Institute) for IELI 2042 and 3052
• Aleshia Hayes (Learning Technologies) for LTEC 1100
• Krista Hines (Mathematics) for MATH 1351
• Lisa Hollinger (Intensive English Language Institute) for IELI 4062
• Kimberley Keller (Journalism) for JOUR 2310
• Nirmala Naresh (Mathematics) for MATH 1350
• Wendy Watson (Political Science) for PSCI 4210
• Jae Webb and Cathy Westurn (Management) for MGMT 3720
• Cathy Westurn and Dennis Nasco (Management) for MGMT 3721

2019

• Nicolae Anghel (Mathematics) for MATH 3410
• Junhua Ding (Information Science) for INFO 5502
• Matthew Heard (English) for ENGL 1310
• Brian K. McFarlin (Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Recreation / Biological Sciences) for KINE 3030 (declined)