Creating Faculty Development on OER

A Campus Textbook Affordability Grant was awarded to an instructional designer to create a professional development program for faculty. Twelve university instructors and teaching assistants participated in the program over one academic year. Workshops offered information about textbook affordability, Open Educational Resources (OER), and Creative Common Copyright. Additional support was provided for the instructors to either revise a course using OER, publish their own course material as an OER, or to collaboratively write a textbook to fill a gap in the university’s curriculum. At the end of the program, the total textbook material savings was $22k for one semester. Surveys were sent to program participants and the students in their revised courses as part of a formative evaluation of the program. Feedback indicated that participants felt the program was effective at helping them choose and utilize low-cost course materials and that students felt the materials were as effective as traditional materials.