Open Educational Resources at BGSU
Bowling Green State University Libraries offers the following workshop opportunities and incentives for BGSU faculty interested in adopting OER or developing their own open materials.
Open Textbook Workshops
If you're new to OER and want to learn more, apply to attend the library's Intro to Open Textbooks workshop. Faculty who attend the workshop are invited to review an open textbook in the Open Textbook Library and are eligible for a $200 stipend. Reviews benefit other faculty considering open textbooks.
Workshop capacity is limited, and open textbooks are not available for all subjects. Preference is based on textbook subject area availability. Faculty who received a stipend for a review in the past and graduate students are welcome to attend if space is available, but they are ineligible for stipends.
OER Stipends and Grants
The library offers additional stipends and grants to BGSU faculty to help support OER adoption, adaptation, and creation. Preference will be given to projects for high-enrolled courses.
Adoption
Faculty who'd like to adopt existing OER to replace a high-cost textbook in one of their courses can apply for a $300 adoption stipend.
Faculty requirements
- Identify an OER that can replace a required commercial textbook in one of your courses and commit to using it for at least 2 semesters.
Apply for an OER Adoption stipend
Adaptation
OER's open licenses allow users to modify the material to fit their needs. Faculty who've identified OER in their subject area that they'd like to adapt for use in one or more of their courses can apply for a $1,000 adaptation grant.
Faculty Requirements
- Meet with the Open Educational Resources Strategist to review the memorandum of understanding and establish a project timeline.
- Adapt an open textbook or other OER during the academic year. Agree to license the adapted work under a Creative Commons license and host a copy on ScholarWorks, BGSU's institutional repository.
- Commit to using the OER in a course for at least 2 semesters.
- Complete a brief survey after using the OER in the classroom each semester. Responses will be used to calculate student savings and improve the grant program.
Apply for an OER Adaptation grant
Creation
Occasionally, there are no viable OER available in a given discipline. The library offers $3,000 grants to faculty who'd like to create new OER to replace student-purchased materials in their courses. Material created will be used primarily for the benefit of BGSU students but may be shared with a wider audience.
Example projects include writing a traditional textbook, producing a series of videos demonstrating clinical practices, gathering and transcribing oral histories to create a reader, creating a lab workbook.
The deliverable must be an original work, not a collection of previously published material. Grant funds must be used to cover costs associated with creating the work. They will not be awarded for hosting, printing/binding, or other maintenance costs.
Faculty Requirements
- Meet with the Open Educational Resources Strategist to review the memorandum of understanding and establish a project timeline.
- Create an OER during the academic year. Agree to license the new work under a Creative Commons CC BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-NC, or CC BY-NC-SA license and host a copy on ScholarWorks, BGSU's institutional repository.
- Commit to using the OER in a course for at least 2 semesters.
- Complete a brief survey after using the OER in the classroom each semester. Responses will be used to calculate student savings and improve the grant program.
Grant Deadlines
- Application Window:
- Rolling
- Decision Notification:
- 2 - 5 weeks after application
OER Contact
If you have questions about the library's OER program, contact Tim Sandusky, Open Educational Resources Strategist.
Updated: 09/18/2023 04:28PM