Skip to Main Content

Faculty Guide to Open Educational Resources (OER): SUNY OER Funding Initiative

This guide is designed to help OCC faculty find, create, evaluate, and incorporate OER resources for instruction.

About the Initiative

OCC has received funding from SUNY to support the adoption of OER. Course redesign funding is being made available to recognize faculty who plan to redesign their course using OER materials.

Eligibility: All full-time and part-time teaching faculty and staff. You must be the instructor of record for the course you are submitting and obtain permission from the department Chair. 

Amount:

  • $200 (per faculty member) per course to ADOPT an OER textbook 
  • $500 (per faculty member) per course to ADAPT an OER textbook and/or OER materials
  • $700 (per faculty member) per course to CREATE an OER textbook and/or course using OER materials

Submission Guidelines

Once approved by the OER Librarian and the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation Advisory Committee (CTLI), the faculty member is eligible for the OER Funding Initiative. 

Use this application link to complete the form online.

Successful applicants must be able to provide:

  • Evidence demonstrating that at least 51% of materials used will reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits re-purposing by others.
  • Evidence that all required materials will have zero cost per student.
  • A commitment to using OER each time they teach the course for the next three years.
  • A commitment to receiving support from the OER Librarian.
  • A commitment to participating in OER data collection.
  • A commitment to submitting a revised course syllabus that includes the OCC OER Statement. 

 

FAQs

How does SUNY define OER?
Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits re-purposing by others.”

 "A SUNY OER course/section provides students a cost effective alternative to traditional textbooks. The majority of materials in this section resides in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits re-purposing by others."

Are my course materials OER?  

OER resources can fall anywhere on a continuum of cost and openness. In order to take part in the OER Funding Initiative at OCC, your course materials must be “free."

*Free= materials that have no cost to the student.  Although free of charge, these resources will have a license to use or fall under standard copyright protection.

**Examples: streaming online videos, TedTalks, library-subscribed materials (journal articles), websites, open textbooks, materials you have created and licensed for your courses.

OER Course Design Process

Step 1: Submit your application.

Step 2: Receive one-on-one support from the OER Librarian (Lisa Hoff) if needed, and/or attend a scheduled OER information session. (if this is your first time creating an OER course).

Step 3: Submit your revised syllabus for review to the OER Librarian. The submission should include a course schedule outlining all OER readings, assignments, and course materials. CTLI and the OER Librarian will review and approve the course, or request more information if necessary.

Step 4: The OER Librarian will notify the Registration & Records designee to code the course as OER. Your course will receive the OER designation in the course catalog and the stipend paperwork will be submitted for approval. 

*The instructor is responsible for updating any bookstore information associated with the course. 

Coulter Library, Onondaga Community College, Syracuse, NY