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Open Educational Resources

This guide provides information about open educational resources and offers assistance with finding, adopting, and creating them. © University of Kentucky Libraries. Licensed with CC BY-NC 4.0.

About the OER Grant Program

The OER Grant Program (formerly the Alternative Textbook Grant Program) supports the adoption and creation of open educational resources (OER) for use in University of Kentucky courses. The 2024 application period has closed; the next round will open in February 2025.

Results of the Program as of February 2022:

  • Grants awarded: 59
  • Funds awarded: $107,500
  • Students enrolled in impacted courses: 12,480
  • Estimated student savings: $1,543,979
  • Estimated savings per student: $124
  • Colleges represented by grant recipients: 13

To learn more about the program, contact the Affordable Course Content Librarian.

Those interested in future grant cycles can review the application form and rubric below for planning purposes. The next round of proposals will be accepted February 1-March 31, 2025.

OER Grant Program Advisory Board

Charge

The OER Grant Program supports the adoption and creation of open educational resources (OER) for use in University of Kentucky courses. The OER Grant Program Advisory Board is responsible for the selection process and for guiding future directions of the program. Duties include the following:

  • Review and evaluate proposals
  • Select grant recipients and funding amounts
  • Promote the program across campus
  • Review proposal evaluation criteria and make revisions as appropriate
  • Provide feedback for future directions of the OER Grant Program

Schedule and participation expectations

  • February/March: OER Grant Program application period
  • April: The Advisory Board reviews proposals and meets to select recipients (at least one virtual meeting and as much time as necessary for individual application review, typically a few to several hours depending on the number of proposals)
  • Fall: Rotation of Advisory Board members (call for expressions of interest, selection of new members, completed terms end and new terms begin)
  • Fall/Winter: The Advisory Board may be asked to participate in limited virtual meetings and/or small amounts of asynchronous work if revisions to the process are needed between grant cycles
  • Year-round: Advisory Board members are encouraged to share information about the grant program with potential applicants

All advisory board members will be expected to attend meetings and participate in the grant selection process. The Affordable Course Content Librarian will not vote on applications, in order to fairly provide support for applicants as they develop their proposals. All meetings and work by the Advisory Board take place virtually; on-campus presence is not required for participation.

 

Membership guidelines

The OER Grant Program Advisory Board will consist of a minimum of eight but no more than 10 members that reflect multidisciplinary perspectives and roles at UK. Members include the following:

  • Affordable Course Content Librarian (chair, ex-officio)
  • 1 representative from CELT
  • 1-2 current students
  • Up to 6 faculty (no two may be from the same department at one time)
  • Up to 3 staff

Members serve two-year terms. The terms of office will be staggered to ensure continuity of membership. No member will serve more than two consecutive terms unless the individual is an ex-officio member. Advisory Board members are not eligible to apply for the OER Grant during their terms. Current grantees may apply for the Advisory Board during their project period after the selection process is complete.

A call for members will go out each October. Those interested in serving on the Advisory Board, including current members who have reached the end of their two-year term, should submit an expression of interest. Selections will be made by the UK Libraries Affordable Course Content Working Group, which will prioritize representation of as many different departments and role types as possible. Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously served on the Advisory Board.

Current members

  • Affordable Course Content Librarian (chair, ex-officio)
  • Cassandra Kessinger Black, Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning, College of Social Work
  • Juan Fernandez Cantero, Department of Hispanic Studies
  • Kate Collins, Faculty Instructional Associate, CELT
  • Deloris Foxworth, Instructional Designer, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
  • Spencer Greenhalgh, School of Information Science
  • Sara Police, Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences
  • Liv Yinger, PhD, School of Music

Past members

  • Molly Blasing, Russian Studies, Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures
  • Sarah Carr, Animal and Food Sciences, Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
  • Trey Conatser, Director of CELT
  • Jennifer Hootman, Coordinator of Digital Scholarship & Data
  • Anita Lee-Post, Marketing and Supply Chain, Gatton College of Business and Economics
  • Ben Rawlins, Associate Dean for Outreach, Engagement and Collections