Course Materials Conversion Program Call for Proposals Open

Graphic Design by Ariel Romero

Each semester, the University of Arkansas Libraries and Global Campus offer compensation for faculty to reduce the cost of textbooks for their students by using Open Educational Resources (OER). Faculty may apply for one of two programs.  

Faculty can apply to the Course Materials Conversion Program to receive extra compensation. Successful applicants can receive $3,000 for adopting OER, $4,500 for adapting OER, or $7,500 for creating their own. Visit the OER Course Materials Conversion program website to learn more about the program and the difference between these three options.  

Applications are also open for opportunities to participate in the Spring 2021 Affordable/OER Course Redesign Workshop. Faculty must apply to attend and will receive $1,500 for completing all workshop requirements. The workshop provides the opportunity for faculty to convert courses that currently utilize traditionally published textbooks to an open and/or more affordable model. In place of creating a full textbook, library resources, open, and free resources will be curated and embedded in online course materials.  

"The Global Campus supports this U of A initiative to reduce the cost of textbooks while ensuring high-quality materials for students," said Cheryl Murphy, vice provost for distance education. "We believe investing in faculty is key to fostering teaching innovation and student success."

All potential applicants for the conversion program or the workshops must first schedule pre-application consultations before Oct. 20, during which they will receive an application form. After the consultation, potential participants will have until Oct. 22 to complete applications. Submitted project applications are reviewed and scored by the Open Educational Resources team and campus advisory group.  

"We are excited to invite faculty once again to participate in the OER Course Materials Conversion Program," said Elaine Thornton, open education and distance learning librarian. "This program supports faculty efforts to adopt and create innovative teaching resources that fit the needs of their students while helping reduce the cost of attendance for University of Arkansas students. Our spring workshop program will also be available once again as an option for faculty who want to learn more about OER, affordability and course design. We look forward to conducting the workshop sessions virtually. We are happy to consult with faculty at any time about OER project ideas."   

The OER Course Materials Conversion Program began providing funding to faculty in 2017. Since then, over 3,600 students have benefited from the reduced cost of course materials.