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Michigan State University

Open Educational Resources (OER) Program: OER Award Program

This guide provides an introduction to open educational resources (OER), where to find them, and how to use materials for teaching and learning.

About the OER Award Program

To encourage the use, adaptation, and creation of openly licensed learning materials, Michigan State University Libraries is pleased to announce the OER Award Program. This award is an incentive program for instructors interested in adopting, adapting, or creating OER as an alternative to traditional textbooks and a pathway to increasing student success. For more information, please visit the OER Program web site.

Award applicants are encouraged to meet with Linda Miles, OER Librarian, for a one-on-one project consultation before preparing your proposal.

Please contact Linda Miles, milesli3@msu.edu.

Application materials for the new cycle are available below, under "OER Award Application Forms."

The deadline for submission is February 12, 2024.

OER Award Categories

Adoption of Existing OER

  • This category entails identifying existing OER materials suitable for your intended course, reviewing materials to ensure congruence with course learning outcomes, selecting and adopting the OER, and ensuring that these materials have the quality and rigor to maintain the integrity of the course.
  • The maximum award for this category is $1,000 per successful application.

​Adaptation/Remix of Multiple OER

  • This category requires revision and remix of multiple OER that results in a new openly-licensed material.  Examples consist of editing existing chapters of an open textbook, adding new materials from other sources removing sections not appropriate, and bringing together several openly licensed sources.
  • The maximum award is $2,500 per successful application.

Creation and Development of New OER

  • This category includes the creation and development of a completely new OER by writing, developing, and creating open textbooks and any supplemental materials (laboratory manuals, interactive homework, learning components, etc.).
  • The maximum award is $4,000 per successful application.

Continuous Improvement Grants

  • This category aims to support OER sustainability through substantial improvement and revision of OER used in existing courses, creation of new ancillary materials for existing OER courses, or the replacement of current OER in courses with new or better OER.
  • The maximum award is $3,000 per successful application.

Scaling Up OER Grants

  • This category involves large-scale implementation of an existing OER to an entire course. The project must affect 1,000 or more students per year and requires department-wide adoption of OER to all applicable sections of a course.

  • The maximum award is $5,000 per successful application.

OER Award Application Forms

If you're intrigued by the idea of Open Educational Resources (OER), but you have questions please contact Linda Miles, your MSU OER Librarian.

Please contact Linda Miles, milesli3@msu.edu.

In addition, award applicants are encouraged to meet with Linda for a one-on-one project consultation before preparing your proposal.

The deadline for submission is February 12, 2024.

OER Program Promotional Video

Resources for OER Developers

OER Development Process