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Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI): Previous Round (Spring 2017 Courses)

Our First OER Grant

To ameliorate the heavy financial burden of textbook purchases, the WSU Library was awarded a $10,000 grant from Reach Out for Schools, a local non-for-profit that supports innovative educational initiatives. With this grant, we initiated the WSU Library Open Educational Resources Initiative which will fund ten $1,000 mini-grants supporting faculty who redesign courses based around open educational resources, as opposed to higher-priced, conventionally published textbooks. The initiative aims to increase instructional effectiveness while lowering costs for students.

How will grants be awarded?

Grant proposals were reviewed by a selection committee comprised of representatives of the library and other campus faculty and staff interested in supporting open educational resources. Grants were awarded on the basis of: 
  • Strength of application in response to questions
  • Potential savings to Worcester State University students
  • Sustainability of the project to applicant's future courses
  • Implementation date by Spring 2017

WSU OER Review Committee Members

  • Rosemary Ahmadi (IT)
  • Matt Bejune (Library)
  • Sue Foo (Center for Teaching & Learning)
  • Vicki Gruzynski (Library)
  • Shu Qian (Library)
  • Angela Quitadamo (Former Director of Retention Office)
  • Kristina Rearick (Institutional Research)

Winners of WSU OER mini-grant

Winner(s) Department
Elizabeth Siler, Miriam Plavin-Masterman Business and Economics
Henry Theriault Philosophy
Alex Briesacher Sociology
William Hansen Earth, Environmental Science, and Physics
Adrienne Smyth Biotechnology
Elizabeth Osborne World Languages
Sam O'Connell Visual and Performing Arts
Linda Hixon History and Political Science
Michael Shamgochian Business and Economics
Sebastian Velez Biology