The University of Iowa Libraries has awarded 11 OpenHawks grants for the development of open educational resources (OER). OpenHawks is a campuswide grant program that funds faculty efforts to replace or avoid high-cost textbooks with OERs for enhanced student success.
The projects, which are set to be completed in January 2026, will save UI students over $208,000 in the first year of use alone. These funded OER, which were selected through a competitive application process, will benefit students across a wide range of disciplines, including civil and environmental engineering, physics and astronomy, communications studies, and Asian and Slavic languages and literatures.
Micah Bateman, library and information science
Public User Services and Technology
This project will consolidate course materials, particularly focusing on reference skills and user technologies, into a modular, learner-friendly textbook accessible via Pressbooks.
Kristina Gavin Bigsby, business analytics
Foundations of Database Management
Bigsby’s OER will provide students with a high-quality, freely accessible resource that covers all conceptual components of database management, including data literacy, data modeling, SQL (structured query language), emerging database technology, and application design.
Roxanna Curto, French and Italian, Spanish and Portuguese
Trip to Belgium, France, and Switzerland
This project will introduce students to the history, cultures, and languages of French-speaking European countries through an immersive journey divided into three units: Paris and its surroundings, regions of France, and Belgium and Switzerland.
Ibrahim Demir, civil and environmental engineering
AI-Augmented OER for Enhanced Educational Accessibility
Demir and him team will develop AI-generated educational resources, including interactive lab materials, study questions, and frequently asked questions (FAQs), all personalized to meet the specific needs of the course.
Michelle Higgins, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery
Living Color Guide: Mapping Human Anatomy’s True Hues
This OER will catalog the actual colors found within human bodies, facilitating open-access color matching systems for various fields, including medical education, biomedical engineering, and design. The project addresses the critical need for accurate color representation in medical training and education.
Alexis Jiménez, Spanish and Portuguese
Brotes: Revolutionizing Intermediate Spanish Language Learning
This project will not only reduce financial barriers but elevate the quality of Spanish language instruction. It will be utilized across all sections of Intermediate Spanish I at the UI, offering students engaging content, authentic materials, and meaningful activities tailored to their interests and learning objectives.
Erning Li, statistics and actuarial science
Introductory Statistics Enhanced with SAS-Oriented Hands-on Learning
Existing textbooks often lack SAS software integration, creating a gap in educational resources. By developing an OER textbook that includes SAS computing, this project aims to fill that void and provide students with hands-on experience using this powerful statistical software.
Sylvia L. Mikucki-Enyart, communication studies
Sexual Communication Workbook
This workbook serves as a companion to the Principal Investigator’s existing OER textbook and aims to provide students with accessible and interactive resources for engaging in sexual communication tasks. The primary objective of the project is to compile activities, assessment surveys, online resources, and guided scripts typically used in the classroom into a cohesive workbook.
John Momberg, physics and astronomy
Steller Evolution Textbook
Momberg will develop a comprehensive open textbook and lecture notes on stellar evolution applicable to both undergraduate and graduate-level courses. The aim is to address the lack of written reference material for content presented orally during lectures, particularly evident in courses like ASTR 6790.
Joung-A Park and Sang-Seok Yoon, Asian and Slavic languages and literatures
Intermediate Korean 1 OER Development
The need for this OER arises from the outdated and limited content of current textbooks, which lack diverse activities and fail to incorporate contemporary Korean culture. Park and Yoon’s previous success with OER development for Beginning Korean classes underscores their capability and the demand for tailored materials.
Jared Stiles, radiology
LTPRT OER Addition and Review Resources
The project will expand an existing OpenHawks OER on radiation therapy, specifically focusing on special procedures essential for radiation therapists. These additions include chapters on leukemia and total body irradiation, lymphoma and total nodal irradiation, bone and soft tissue sarcomas, among others.
Over the last several years, OpenHawks has funded more than 70 OER projects across a broad range of disciplines and saved students more $1 million to date.
Read more about the OpenHawks projects that received funding in 2023-2024 and visit the OpenHawks website for more information about the program.