EAST LANSING, Mich., Nov. 2022 – Michigan State University Libraries has recently announced that its Open Educational Resources (OER) Award Program is now accepting applications for the 2022–2023 academic year.
Now in its fourth consecutive year, the OER Award Program provides financial support to instructors who are interested in adopting, adapting or creating open educational resources in their classrooms as an alternative to traditional learning materials. The OER Award Program comes out of the overarching OER Program that began at the MSU Libraries in fall 2019, which has since impacted 50,704 students and saved approximately $5 million in textbook costs.
Interim Dean of MSU Libraries Terri Miller emphasized the importance of this program in supporting the Libraries’ commitment to promoting equal access to information for all. “Openly licensed learning materials help to promote equity and inclusion in education by removing the high-cost barriers that typically come with more traditional learning materials,” Miller said. “This past year alone we saw a savings of $1.8 million for our students in textbooks costs through OER adoptions at MSU.”
MSU Open Educational Resources & Student Success Librarian Regina Gong also touched on the importance of the award in terms of faculty support and offering more equitable and inclusive ways of learning. “Through the OER Award Program, we have been able to fully support our faculty in the adoption and creation of openly licensed materials that are relevant, engaging, interactive and accessible. Using OER not only eliminates the cost barrier but also allows our faculty to make learning materials reflect the diversity of the students we teach.”
A total of 21 MSU faculty members have been OER Award Program recipients in the past three years, with MSU Libraries awarding a total of $83,500 in grants to fund the creation of new OER primary course materials. The submissions deadline for this round of awards is Jan. 16, 2023. For more information about the OER Award Program, please visit lib.msu.edu/oer. To view and download the application forms, please visit libguides.lib.msu.edu/oer/award.
The MSU Libraries are at the center of academic life at Michigan State University, providing expertise, collections, and infrastructure for discovery and creation. The Libraries facilitate connections that support research, teaching, and learning in our local and global communities. The Libraries also promote equal access to information and spaces for all and lead meaningful initiatives in accessibility, diversity, equity and inclusion.
Contact: Elise Jajuga
MSU Libraries
Communications Manager
517-884-6918
jajugael@msu.edu
