OER: Create Program

Professor speaks to his class in language lab, CAS
Professor Scott Hartley, wearing protective glasses, talks with students in the lab, CAS

Do you have a passion for promoting equitable access to scholarly information here at Miami university and around the world by making quality scholarly resources free to others? The OER Create Program may be just right for you.

Launching in the fall of 2018, this program will provide professional development funds to faculty who author an Open Educational Resource that will replace their current commercial textbook and that will be made freely available to others to access and use.

In partnership with the Open Textbook Network (OTN)’s Publishing Cooperative and the Miami University Libraries, professional publication services will be provided to help ensure that all new textbooks created through this program are professionally published, peer-reviewed, and fully accessible.

The OTN is an internationally recognized, university-backed initiative that “strives to promote access, affordability, and student success through the use of open textbooks.” Faculty are able to publish the text through an online publishing platform made available through Scribe.

Scribe, an established university press (New York University Press, University of Michigan Press, Baylor University Press) and publishing provider (Macmillan, Cambridge University Press, Activate Learning) has produced hundreds of textbooks. In addition to documentation, training, and tools, faculty who are selected for this program will have access to a full suite of editorial and production services. These include ancillary development, multilingual editing, copyediting, proofreading, indexing, typesetting, page and cover design, and a full suite of prepress services for print and electronic formats.

Those faculty selected for this program receive professional development funds plus the cost of publication which is estimated to range between $2,000 - $8,000 per OER.

Continuing faculty members who teach large enrollment courses will be given priority for this program.

For more information on OER Create, please see Libraries' OER LibGuide or contact Carla Myers, Scholarly Communications Coordinator at myersc2@MiamiOH.edu; 513 529-3935.

OER: Create Application

Applications are considered on a rolling basis during the academic year. Applications submitted between April 1 and August 1 will be reviewed during the following fall semester. Applications which are on a Qualtrics survey form can be accessed via a Canvas site. Please contact Carla Myers, Scholarly Communications Coordinator, at myersc2@MiamiOH.edu or Carolyn Haynes, Associate Provost, at haynesca@MiamiOH.edu for access to the Canvas site. Completed applications must be received no later than the deadline.

Applicant Information

  1. Principal researcher (first name, last name):
  2. Academic Rank/Position:
  3. Department:
  4. Phone Number:
  5. Email Address:

Description of Application

  1. Short Title:
  2. Is this a new course? Y/N
  3. Name of course listed in this application:
  4. Three letter department abbreviation and number of course listed in this application:
  5. Catalog description of course listed in this application:
  6. Next term in which this course will be offered:
  7. Frequency with which this course is offered:
  8. Maximum number of enrolled students per semester/term:
  9. Average number of enrolled students (Calculate this based on the last three iterations of the course if possible. See “Information on new courses” note for calculating enrollment for new courses.):
  10. Current traditional textbook or other materials used (title and ISBN):
  11. Total cost of textbook (and other course materials) each student is required to purchase for this course (Calculate this using the retail price for a new copies of the work. Do not include the cost of supplemental materials. See section on new courses for how the cost of textbooks should be calculated in such courses.):
  12. Provide a brief description (1-2 paragraphs) of the OER you plan to publish:
  13. Provide an outline of the OER (with chapter or section titles):
  14. List your anticipated needs in developing this OER. Check all that apply:
  • Multilingual editing
  • Copyediting
  • Proofreading
  • Indexing
  • Typesetting
  • Page and cover design
  • Other – Please list:
  1. Describe any challenges that you anticipate in developing this OER:
  2. Describe your plan for evaluating or assessing the use of the OER once it is developed. How will you know if it is successful? Please note any additional assessment mechanisms for measuring the impact of traditional textbooks and the new OER on the course outcomes and student learning beyond the ones required (e.g., SGID, reflection on the impact and possible presentation to OER Committee):

Applicants are strongly encouraged to consult with librarians, instructional technologists, and CTE staff during the preparation of the application.

  • I have consulted with the following people:

Previous Funding from Miami University

  • Have you received previous funding for a course through a grant from CTE?
  • Have you applied for other grants or funding from Miami University this year?
  • Have you received any other grants or funding from Miami University during the previous five years?

Other Support for Current Application

  • Have you applied for or been granted any external or other internal sources of funding for this application?

Additional Materials

Attach a current CV or resume that includes courses taught at Miami University.

For more information on OER, please see Libraries' OER LibGuide or contact Carla Myers, Scholarly Communications Coordinator at myersc2@MiamiOH.edu; 513 529-3935.