University of Houston Libraries is accepting applications for the OER Creation Program, a new initiative that advances the use of open educational resources (OER) to make higher education more affordable and accessible for UH students.

The OER Creation Program provides professional development and financial support for faculty to create high-quality OER that will be used as required course material in a UH course or program and that fills a gap in existing OER content. Materials should be free to access, share, and customize.

Applications must consist of two to four project team members. Selected teams will receive a stipend ranging from $5,000 to $10,000, participate in the Textbook Success Program (TSP), a year-long professional development program facilitated by the Rebus Community, and publish their completed OER on Pressbooks and in the UH Cougar ROAR repository.  

TSP is a professional development program that equips faculty, librarians, administrators, and managers with the tools they need to make great OER. The program is one year long and comprises two phases: 

• Phase 1: 12 weekly themed sessions with a cohort to give faculty an overview of the open publishing process
  
• Phase 2: Hands-on stage where the team works on OER projects, with a mix of group check-ins with the cohort and 1:1 support sessions with a facilitator

Participants will join a group made up of project teams from UH and potentially teams from other institutions. The TSP is facilitated by OER publishing professionals and program alumni, and is built with community, collaboration, and engagement in mind.

The deadline for proposals is April 8, 2022. Interested applicants are encouraged to attend an upcoming information session to learn about the OER Creation Program. Ariana Santiago, open educational resources coordinator, is available by appointment to discuss implementing open textbooks in the classroom and the support provided through the program.