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Open Hawks | UI Libraries Open Educational Resources Grants Program | Deadline April 26

We are happy to announce OpenHawks, a campus-wide grant program that funds faculty efforts to replace their current textbooks with Open Educational Resources (OER) for enhanced student success.

What are OER?

OER (such as textbooks, videos, assessment tools, lab books, research materials or interactive course modules) are free for students and carry legal permission for open use. The open licenses under which these items are released allow users to create, reuse, and redistribute copies of the resources.

Why use OER?

Removing cost barriers to course materials opens student access and positively impacts learning. OER provide further benefit when faculty fully integrate free resources into their curricula by “remixing” or tailoring materials to enhance specific learning objectives.

Acknowledging the rising costs of educational resources and increasing financial pressures on students, the UI Libraries works to provide creative solutions in partnership with other campus units. As a result of this collaborative work, OpenHawks grants support faculty efforts to use OER at any level: adopting or remixing existing materials, developing open access assessment and learning tools, redesigning courses, or creating an original OER to share under an open license.

How to apply?

Call for Proposals: Here you can find more information about OpenHawks and instructions for applying. Spring 2019 applications are due on April 26, 2019.

Application: Once you’re ready to apply, click here and complete your application in Qualtrics. (You can find a PDF version of the application questions here.)

Evaluation Rubrics: These are the criteria reviewers will use to make funding decisions.

Funding is available at several different levels depending on the type of projects applicants wish to complete. Some projects require more time and resources than others, and our award structure is meant to reflect that. See below for the award types available:

Award Type Award Range Requirements
Adoption $500-$1,000 Use an existing open textbook for a course with no editing and minimal course adaptation required.
Remixing $750-$2,000 Adapt, update, combine, or improve existing OER to replace a currently used textbook. Use of library-licensed materials may also be considered.
Support Materials $1,000-$3,000 Develop test bank questions, teaching support materials, quizzes, interactive learning aids, or other support materials for existing OER.
Course Redesign Up to $5,000 Redesign a course around the use of OER.
OER Creation Up to $10,000 Create an original Open Educational Resource to be used in a course and shared under an open license.

Please contact Mahrya Burnett (mahrya-burnett@uiowa.edu), UI Scholarly Communications Librarian, to find out more.