Open Educational Resource (OER) Development Grants

OER Development Grants are available to IU Indianapolis instructors who create, adapt, or adopt open educational learning materials, known as OERs. OERs are digital products used in teaching and learning that are licensed with a Creative Commons copyright license, are free to students and  can be made available globally in OER repositories such as the Pressbooks Directory or the Open Textbook Library. Grants will be awarded for the creation, adaptation, or adoption of such materials. To find out more about open educational resources, consult the library’s OER guide.

Goals

The OER Development Grant Program is designed to:

• Support student retention and engagement by reducing course material costs and removing access barriers
• Build faculty expertise in open educational resources, instructional design, and creative content development to enhance teaching and curriculum design
• Foster faculty collaborations across campus by connecting instructors with librarians, copyright experts, and instructional designers who offer tailored support throughout the development process
• Cultivate a community of OER advocates committed to student success, innovative teaching, and sustainable educational practices

Application Process

Applicants will be considered under the following general criteria:

• Motivation for using open educational resources (OER) and how their project aligns with student or course needs. Proposals should outline achievable goals and a realistic plan for completing the work within the grant timeline.
• Estimated number of IU students affected and overall cost savings to students (include information for multiple course sections, if appropriate)
• Desire to serve as a champion of OER and course material affordability

Keep these important dates in mind when you plan your proposal.

• Application Opens | September 2, 2025
• Application Closes | October 17, 2025
• Award Notification | Mid November 2025

Contact the OER Librarian (kamcmurr@iu.edu) for additional information.

Award Tiers

The OER Development Grant provides financial support and hands-on guidance to help faculty transform their course materials into accessible, affordable resources for students. All applicants with accepted proposals will meet with the library’s OER liaison to finalize their support tier based on project details and instructional goals. 

All grant recipients must sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining expectations for participation, deliverables, and timeline.

There are two tiers within the OER Development Grant program.  

Tier 1

Tier 1 supports projects up to $5,000 that involve the creation of original open educational resources or the substantial revision of existing materials. Projects at this level require significant faculty effort and must be shared publicly under an open license whenever possible (i.e. Creative Commons). Materials can be hosted in platforms such as Pressbooks, ScholarWorks, or other open repositories.

Examples of Tier 1 Projects:

• Writing a new OER textbook or lab manual for a subject with limited or outdated coverage in existing repositories (see the Pressbooks directory and the Open Textbook Library to determine coverage)  
• Compiling and editing instructor-created resources (lecture notes, assignments, videos, quizzes, etc.) into a Pressbook that is fully accessible and openly licensed
• Expanding an existing open text by contributing more than 75% new material, including new chapters, case studies, data sets, or discipline-specific insights

Tier 2

Tier 2 supports projects up to $3,000 that involve the adaptation, revision, or combination of existing OER to create a new version that better aligns with course goals or student populations. Adaptation may involve customizing structure, adding examples, or weaving together multiple open sources into one coherent resource. These projects typically involve less new content creation than Tier 1.

Examples of Tier 2 Projects:

• Adopting an existing open textbook and creating an aligned quiz bank, slide deck, or instructor guide to support teaching and learning
• Customizing an existing OER textbook (i.e. rearranging chapters, annotating with local case studies or culturally relevant examples)
• Combining multiple public domain texts to create an anthology, adding preface information as needed  

Sample Project

Kim Donahue, Teaching Professor in the Kelley School of Business at IU Indianapolis, created a customized OER textbook Marketing: An Introductory Text for students in BUS-M 374: Honors Marketing: An Integrated Experience. This OER discusses marketing within the broader context of strategic planning by honing in on marketing research, segmentation, targeting and positioning (STP), and the four Ps. This textbook led to over 300 students saving an estimated $34,800. View Donahue’s OER in Pressbooks.

Previous Grant Recipients

Faculty Support

Participants will receive support from University Library, the Center for Teaching & Learning, and the Assistive Technology and Accessibility Center. Staff from these units will provide assistance and advice in areas such as copyright, licensing, accessibility, and assessment of student experience. Upon completion, participants can receive letters or statements that will assist in documenting achievement in teaching for promotion and tenure considerations.