The project will offer students more cost-efficient course materials.
Texas Tech University Libraries and the Raider Depot Campus Store by Follett are partnering in the Open Educational Resources (OER) Adoption Initiative, which is intended to increase OER adoption efforts in core classes at Texas Tech.
Open educational resources are teaching, learning and research materials that are either in the public domain or were created under an open license that allows no or limited restrictions to access, use, redistribution and adaptation.
OER materials are free, so students don't have to pay for a textbook or other materials they need to be successful in class. By choosing OER materials, faculty members can keep costs lower for students.
“We are so excited to partner with Follett on this important initiative,” said Sabrina Davis, OER librarian at Texas Tech. “The hope is that this incentive will encourage faculty to support equity in education and advocate for student success by using OER.”
In this unique partnership, Follett will provide $10,000 annually for the duration of its contract with Texas Tech to support this project.
“Follett is proud to partner with Texas Tech on the OER Adoption Initiative,” said Cole Johnson, Follett regional manager. “Through this project, Texas Tech students should see a more robust offering and cost-efficient solution to course materials.”
The initiative is funded by Follett and will award select faculty a $750 stipend for adopting existing OER in a course. Applications will be reviewed and awarded on a rolling basis.
Applicants must:
- Be a current Texas Tech faculty member, full-time instructor or research professor teaching a core curriculum class
- Be a faculty member who is authorized to adopt course materials
- Be currently requiring students to purchase a textbook, access code, packet, etc., regardless of cost
Applicants must not have been recipients of the TTU Libraries Open Educational Resources Adoption Incentive Grant in the same fiscal year, and the OER listed in the application should be an academic course that will be offered in the coming academic year in which the applicant is applying. For example, if the applicant is applying for funding in Fall 2022, the OER selected must be used in a course during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Faculty may apply here. To learn more about OER, or if faculty wish to create OER, they are encouraged to email the OER librarian at libraries.oer@ttu.edu to discuss other funding opportunities.
