The 2023-2024 OER Instructor Grant offers financial assistance and professional support to NKU educators who adopt or adapt open educational resources (OER) for an NKU course. This grant is meant to support NKU instructors achieve pedagogical innovation while increasing student access to course materials.
Co-sponsored by Steely Library and the Office of the Provost, the program is in its second cycle and has supported 16 NKU faculty and saved students over $50,000 to date in course material costs.
A virtual information session was held on Monday, July 31st at 10 am. A recording of this session is available via Kaltura and the slides and notes for this presentation are available above.
All Northern Kentucky University employees with teaching responsibilities are eligible and encouraged to apply. Applications must be focused on adopting or adapting existing OER for a credit bearing NKU course to be taught in fall 2023, spring 2024, or summer 2024.
Award amount: $500
Locate, evaluate, and adopt an OER for an NKU course.
Award amount: $1,000
Locate, evaluate, and adapt (through localization, revision, or remixing) OER for an NKU course.
Applications must be submitted through the online form and application questions can be reviewed prior to submission (a link to download the question is available at the top of the page). It is highly recommended you meet with Steely Library’s OER Librarian prior to applying. 30-minute Zoom meetings are available, and a booking can be made.
Review Process
Grant applications are reviewed by an OER Grant Review group consisting of at least three NKU employees and the OER Librarian. The application rubric is available to review.
Selection of awardees is based on projects that:
In line with Steely Library’s student-first mission, additional consideration will be given to proposals that support or include diverse perspectives, increase the accessibility of openly licensed digital content, or incorporate open pedagogies.
Grant funding is distributed after all requirements are met and before the conclusion of fiscal year 2023-2024. No funding for this cycle will be distributed before 7/1/2023 or after 6/30/2024. Once requirements are met as agreed upon in the OER Instructor Grant Agreement Form, the full funding amount will be distributed as supplemental pay via your department, directly to your paycheck. Funding can only be distributed to current employees of NKU.
The call for applications is open until 8/18/2023. Award notifications will be sent on a rolling basis as applications are submitted. Initial consultations between successful applicants and the OER Librarian will be held soon after acceptance based on the the instructor’s availability where an individual project timeline will be finalized. Awardees must complete all grant requirements before 6/30/2024 and the course within which the OER is used must be taught in fall 2023, spring 2024, or summer 2024.
Using OER in the classroom creates direct cost savings for students. During the OER Instructor Grant cycle for 2022-2023, NKU instructors saved students over $50,000 in less than one year! Most recent savings numbers are available below.
Total OER instructor grant project awardees: 18
OER instructor grant projects completed: 16
Stipend amount awarded: $9,000
Students enrolled in impacted courses: 573
Estimated student savings**: $55,498
Estimated savings per student: $97
*Last updated May 2023
**Student savings are determined for each course by multiplying course enrollment by the purchase price of the traditional textbook previously used.