UNC Students to Benefit from $20,000 Award in State OER Grant Funding
March 5, 2019
The University of Northern Colorado is one of 20 Colorado colleges and universities to be awarded an Open Educational Resources (OER) grant by the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE). The award will be used to support UNC faculty who wish to transform a course to exclusively use open educational resources, high-quality teaching and learning materials, such as textbooks, available at no cost to the student.
Dean of University Libraries, Helen Reed said, “OER save students money and enhance student success. For students at UNC that is extremely important. With the receipt of this grant the Libraries will promote OER at UNC thus reducing the barriers students encounter in their education. I believe OER adoption can play an important part in improving student access, outcomes and overall success.”
The grant, “OER Awareness and Infrastructure Building at the University of Northern Colorado” was submitted to the CDHE’s competitive process by the University Libraries. In addition to the administering this grant, University Libraries is providing ongoing programing around open education. The UNC OER Committee, made up of faculty, students and staff from across campus, will recommend projects to be funded.
Dr. Angie Paccione, executive director of CDHE said, “I’m proud that Colorado is a leader in this important work, and we have the support and encouragement of our Governor and Commission. By removing one of the obstacles in the path of traditionally underrepresented students, we set a level playing field and get to the heart of our work — seeing everyone succeed after high school.”
