Thanks for your interest in the OER Community of Practice. Applications for this specific program are now closed but the University Library offers OER support for all UCSC instructors. Please contact Sarah Hare (sehare@ucsc.edu) with questions.
Open Educational Resources (OER) are free to students but can also be legally customized to fit instructors’ needs. This presents an important opportunity for UCSC instructors to create course materials that center equity and student belonging.
The inaugural Open & Equitable Course Material Community of Practice supports faculty in finding OER and customizing them to center equity for an upcoming course. The program offers dedicated time and space to explore OER within a cohort; one-on-one consultations with librarian experts; and funding to compensate instructors, with the ability to request additional funding for project support.
In selecting participants, we look for proposals that make tangible what course materials adapted with an equity lens in mind look like. Some examples might include (but are not limited to):
Applicants don’t need to have a complete plan for their project, only an interest and general vision for this work.
If you struggle to get your students to complete course readings or find that you have to supplement your textbook a lot to make it work, this community of practice is for you!
Receive $2,000 in funding, a project budget, and support from librarians and your peers to transition one of your modules or chapters to Open Educational Resources (OER). OER can be legally customized by instructors and this year-long program will focus on customizing materials to further representation and accessibility in an effort to further student belonging.