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Affordable Course Materials & Open Educational Resources

Call for Applications

The University Library invites applications for participation in the pilot Open & Equitable Course Materials Community of Practice. The application should take 5-10 minutes to complete.

An information session was held on November 4 and recorded. Common questions are also addressed on our FAQ.

Still not sure if your project is in scope? Contact the OER Librarian to talk in more detail about your idea. 

Program Overview

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):

  • Editing course materials to center underrepresented authors’ voices and perspectives
  • Adding new images, examples, names, and works cited to further representation and student belonging
  • Updating course materials to reflect gender inclusive language and pronouns
  • Removing harmful/ outdated language or frameworks (e.g. shifting to a substance use disorder framework instead of addiction)
  • Reorganizing course material content to be align with neurodivergent readers’ needs
  • Enhancing accessibility features, including alt text text, headings, and closed captioning to increase compatibility with screen readers

Applicants don’t need to have a complete plan for their project, only an interest and general vision for this work.

Participants Receive

  • Enhanced support from librarians, including in-depth consultations;
  • Guidance from an expert in anti-racist pedagogy;
  • A $2,000 payment to be used at the participant's discretion, either deposited to the participant's research fund or applied to relevant professional development activities. The participant will work with their respective division to manage the funds;
  • The ability to request funding (up to $1,500/ ~90 hours) for student assistance, software, or editing; and,
  • Focused discussions with a cohort of faculty/instructor peers around OER, equity, and course material design

Participants Commit to

  • Participate in four 90-minute cohort meetings over Winter and Spring quarters;
  • Work individually with the OER Librarian or other expert to customize existing OER (number of consultations determined on an as needed basis);
  • Replace an existing module or section of their course with an OER they adapted to meet their goals;
  • Share their customized OER under a Creative Commons license at the conclusion of the course;
  • Share their experience at a library-hosted program showcase or similar event

Program Summary

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. 

Timeline

  • November 22- Applications due 
  • December 13- Cohort announced 
  • Winter Quarter 2025- Participants attend two cohort meetings and meet individually with a librarian
  • Spring Quarter 2025- Participants attend two cohort meetings and meet individually with a librarian
  • Spring and Summer 2025- Participants edit course materials 
  • 2025-2026 Academic Year-  Participants pilot and share new course materials