DEADLINE TO APPLY - 9/14/25
Definition of OER: UMA defines OER as freely available educational materials that are either in the public domain or have been created with an open license (for example Creative Commons) which makes the materials available in terms of the "5R's" Retain, Reuse, Revise, Remix, and Redistribute. They can be in many mediums including digital. It also includes UMA Libraries' resources and publicly available web resources.
Project Goals: The goal of the Open Educational Resources (OER) Honorariums Program is to increase the use of OER in courses across the UMA community. This project supports UMA's Transforming Lives initiatives, a course-marking grant initiative from the New England Board of Higher Education, and Initiative 6.1.3: Increase and support faculty use of affordable textbooks, OERs, and library material access options of UMA Libraries' Strategic Plan 2025-2030. UMA Libraries will serve as the point of contact for OER initiatives. Librarians and Learning Experience Designers (LXDs) will support 3 UMA faculty with integrating these resources and technologies. Chosen faculty members who complete the program will receive a $500 honorarium.
UMA OER Honorariums Program Objectives:
- Support three faculty members in replacing costly traditional textbooks with reputable zero-cost or low-cost materials, including OER, web resources, and library resources.
- Increase participating faculty’s understanding of how OER adoption reduces financial barriers for students.
- Collaborate to create and share examples and guidance for developing courses that use zero-cost or low-cost materials.
- Collect and analyze data on the cost savings and benefits of zero-cost and low-cost textbook adoption, and share findings with the UMA community.
UMA OER Honorariums Program Deliverables:
- Faculty member works with the librarian and LXD to find appropriate OER that ensures quality, rigor, and student success.
- Faculty member demonstrates a growing understanding of the use of OER for their discipline or area of study and how OER adoption reduces barriers to student success.
- OER removes costly resources from courses that add to student debt and/or contribute to retention issues.
- The use of OER allows students access to course materials as they are needed without having to order books and wait for delivery.
- Faculty member revises course/syllabus to be fully OER so no student purchases are required. This might include the adoption of an OER resource(s), using library resources, and/or the creation of an OER resource(s).
- Faculty will meet with the librarian and LXD a minimum of 3 times.
- The first required meeting will happen in September to start the process.
- The second required meeting will happen in October. The faculty member, librarian, and LXD will each bring ideas of OER to discuss.
- The third required meeting will happen by the end of November. The faculty member, librarian, and LXD will meet to finalize adoption of OER.
- Other meetings are welcome and encouraged based on the faculty member’s needs.
Data Collection:
- Student survey
- Faculty survey
- Cost Savings (per student and per course)
- Faculty member allows the OER team to make a copy of the course/syllabus to showcase OER use to other UMA/UMS faculty members. This could be attributed or anonymous.
Fall 2025 Timeline:
- August 18: Applications open
- September 15-19: Selected applicants will be notified by email
- September 22-26: First Required Meeting with faculty member, librarian, and LXD
- October: Second required meeting with faculty member, librarian, and LXD
- November: Third required meeting with faculty member, librarian, and LXD
- December: Finalize course preparations
- January: Courses with new OER go live - Spring 2026
Eligibility: Open to all UMA adjuncts and faculty members. Course must be taught Spring 2026.
Selection Criteria: Applicants will be selected based on the rubric below.