UTSA Libraries welcomes submissions for Adopt a Free Textbook grants.
These grants support UTSA faculty in adopting or modifying existing OER for use as the primary textbook(s) in an individual course for an individual grant or a minimum of 3 or more instructors collaborating on an individual course for a group grant.
| Grant | Expectation | Individual | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adoption | Adoption of existing OER as the primary textbook(s) | $1,000 | $1,500-7,000* |
*A minimum of 3 instructor applicants is required for group grants; applications for department-wide adoption are encouraged, when possible, for higher impact.
Use of Awards
Awards may be used to support professional development or to purchase materials/supplies. Recipients will work with UTSA Libraries’ staff and their own academic department admin to coordinate payment. Awards may not be used as a salary supplement.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be the instructor(s) of record for the course
- Grants are open to all faculty, including fixed tenure-track
Selection
Applications are ranked by:
- Total students impacted: average course enrollment in the prior academic year
- New purchase price for the current primary textbook(s) used in the course
- Course drop, fail, withdraw rate
Grantee Expectations
- Collaborate with a librarian to find an affordable textbook for the course
- Commit to adopting an affordable textbook for at least four semesters
- Replace the existing primary textbook(s) for the course with an affordable textbook
- Report adoption of the affordable textbook(s), marking the course as a Low Cost Textbook course via the filter in the UTSA course search
- Serve as an OER advocate by sharing your experience with other faculty
- Complete a course impact report that includes:
- a final syllabus
- assessment
- student evaluations of the affordable textbook
- anonymous data on grades, including drop, fail, and withdraw rates
- analysis and future textbook plans
Support
The UTSA Libraries will provide support for the grants by:
- Conducting an OER discovery search to identify existing OER for potential adoption, adaptation, and redistribution
- Providing guidance on Creative Commons licenses for adoption and authoring
- Answering questions on the use of existing OER for use, adaptation, and redistribution
- Answering questions on copyright and fair use
- Creating research guides for courses in support of grant work
- Providing guidance and training on OER authoring platforms
- Collaborating with Academic Innovation for OER integration in Blackboard
- Leveraging memberships in national and state OER communities to support course transformation
Apply
Grant application deadline: March 29, 2021.
Apply for an individual grant
Apply for a group grant
More OER Grant Opportunities
Email oer@utsa.edu with questions about OER grant opportunities, support for OER projects, or other OER-related inquiries.