OER Adaptation Grant Application Guidelines

A pdf of these application guidelines is available here.

 

OER Adaptation Grant Objectives 

The University of Toronto Libraries is providing grants for the purpose of supporting the adaptation of open educational resources (OERs) for University of Toronto courses. The grants are intended to encourage the development of innovative alternatives to traditional textbooks by supporting instructors with funding and support in implementing OER into their teaching. The grants are meant to align with eCampusOntario’s provincial strategy to “lead through open and collaborative practices," and to contribute to the growing activity in support of OER across Ontario.  

What are OERs? 

OERs are “any type of educational materials that are in the public domain or introduced with an open license. The nature of these open materials means that anyone can legally and freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them. OERs range from textbooks to curricula, syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, tests, projects, audio, video and animation.” (UNESCO) 

What is an OER Adaptation?

Adapting an OER means making changes to an already existing open textbook or other resource to make it more suitable to your learning objectives.

What are some reasons to adapt an OER for a course?

An existing OER may be used to address a particular teaching or learning style, add more links to existing media or sources, or add materials contributed by students or suggested by students, and many other purposes. In Reasons to Adapt an Open Textbook, Lauri M. Aesoph describes these and other benefits to adjusting an existing open resource to fit your curriculum.  The nature of an adaptation depends on the needs of the adapter. 

For further insights, see this video from Open Education Week 2019 that features University of Toronto instructors, librarians, and students discussing their first-hand experience adapting an open textbook.

Eligibility for the OER Adaptation Grant 

The grant is available to any University of Toronto instructor. 

Funding details for OER Adaptation Grant 

This grant program will award three grants of up to $3,000.00 each. The dispersal of these funds will be the responsibility of the successful grantees to administer in their respective departments or faculties. The funds will be transferred to grantee’s departments or faculties as operating funds – UTL will not assist grantees in arranging for payroll or any other administrative assistance related to grant expenditure.  

Application Requirements 

General Criteria

OER Adaptation Grant proposals will be adjudicated according the following criteria: 
  • Potential impact on cost-savings to students 
  • Potential to positively affect the student experience in other ways, such as in the form of high-quality materials, innovative or engaging pedagogy, and opportunities for student participation in the grant 
  • Potential for the reuse of the OER in subsequent terms 
  • Feasibility and readiness 

Project Requirements

All OER projects must: 
  • Be released with an open license, such as a Creative Commons license (CC BY or CC BY-NC) 
  • Meet compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) 
  • Be made available in the eCampusOntario Open Library 

Application Process 

Only grant proposals that are received by the end of the day on June 14th, 2019 will be considered. We will notify all applicants of adjudication decisions by email not later than June 30th, 2019. 

These are the steps of the applications process:

  2. Complete the application form and submit it or complete the Word document. 
  3. If submitting the Word version of the application, rename the completed application <Surname_Firstname_of_Applicant_OERGrant_June14.docx> 
  4. Email the completed application form to scholarly.communications@library.utoronto.ca 

Proposal Assistance 

We encourage you to contact the University of Toronto Libraries for assistance as you develop your proposal. Direct questions to scholarly.communications@library.utoronto.ca . UTL will be holding a webinar information session for potential applicants at 11:00am on June 7th, 2019 (webinar can be joined at this link: https://zoom.us/j/843172192). 

The University of Toronto Libraries Open eText Working Group created an Open Textbook Toolkit which may assist in learning about the issues with developing open materials.  

The eCampusOntario Open Library is a good place to start when looking for existing resources. UTL’s Open, Free & Affordable Course Materials research guide lists directories of open textbooks. 

OER Adaptation Grant Awardee Responsibilities 

OER Adaptation Grant Awardee Commitments 

A primary goal of the OER Adaptation Grant is to foster a community of practice for OER work at the University of Toronto. We hope to build on the lessons learned through this initiative to inform future supports and services offered to the community. Accordingly, we ask that successful grantees attend a kick-off meeting at the outset of the grant as well as a “end-of-grant" meeting and celebration during Open Education Week 2020 which will take place March 2-6, 2020. 

OER Adaption Grant Progress Report 

Successful grantees will complete a brief progress report against set of project milestones which will be provided. This report will be expected to be completed by the end of November 2019, with allowances for the possibility of extenuating circumstances.  

Project Completion and Final Report 

The University of Toronto Libraries will produce a final report, which may provide grantees with an opportunity to share the outcome of their work and experiences with colleagues. The University of Toronto Libraries may request that grantees share some details describing budget expenditures for the purposes of reporting. Grantees should plan to use their adapted materials when it is appropriate for them to do so – it is the hope of the Grant committee that these materials be ready for adoption in a University of Toronto Course before the end of the 2019-2020 Academic Calendar year.