About the grant
The Open Educational Resource grant supports learning and teaching projects that focus on the adoption, adaptation or development of Open Educational Resources (OERs), with the aim of replacing existing textbooks or other types of educational resources that can be prohibitively expensive. Ideally, the completed OERs will be useable not just at UVic, but other post-secondary institutions. OER grants are offered as a partnership between UVic Libraries and the Division of Learning and Teaching Support and Innovation (LTSI).
What is an Open Educational Resource?
OER are freely accessible, openly-licensed documents and media that are useful for teaching, learning and research purposes.
What is an open textbook?
Open textbooks are one type of OER. Open textbooks are licensed under an open-copyright license and made available online to be freely used by students, teachers and members of the public. Print-on-demand copies can also be made available at cost through the University Bookstore.
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Timeline
Application Guidelines
Materials and submission form available by December 1, 2024.
Grant Deadline
Each grant will be due by 11:59pm, February 24, 2025.
Adjudication Process
Grant committees will meet in the following 30-60 days.
Applicants Notified
Applicants will be notified Spring 2025.
Eligibility
The open educational resource grant is open to:
- Single or co-applicants who directly support student learning and the student experience at UVic (includes research and teaching stream faculty, sessional lecturers, laboratory instructors and relevant academic and professional staff)
- Early-career academic professionals or those new to UVic are especially encouraged to apply
- Previous grant recipients for any LTSI grant (if your grant is still active, you must submit obligations prior to be considered for another grant)
Preference will be given to those with continued appointments. If you are a sessional instructor and you are designing/re-designing a course, we may also ask you and your Chair/Director to indicate that you are likely to teach the course again in the future.
Grant criteria
Successful proposals will include a:
- clear specific statement of what the applicant would like to achieve (which could include adopting, adapting or developing OERS);
- well-articulated plan for how to proceed and principles that will guide the process;
- description of the proposed significance of the project in terms of contributions to teaching and student learning and that demonstrate potential for significant large-scale or long-term impact;
- brief, targeted review of the literature that supports the plan;
- plan for sharing the project goals and outcomes to appropriate audiences;
- sustainable budget with justification for each item; and,
- any additional supports from LTSI or other campus partners that might be helpful for your project.
Please note: You cannot apply to more than one LTSI grant in the same year for the same project.
Apply for the open educational resource grant
Review the application process and awardee commitments.
Download the application question template to assist you in preparing your proposal.
Past recipients
2023-2024
- Anthony Estey, Department of Computer Science
Teaching Quantum Computing to a Diverse Audience Through Interactive Visualization Tool ($6,464) - Violeta Iosub, Department of Chemistry
Developing an interactive website with spectroscopy problems for organic chemistry courses ($7,475)
2022-2023
- Trefor Bazett, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Adopting the WeBWork Open Homework System in the Calculus Sequence ($7,500 BC Campus Funding) - Dennine Dudley, Department of Art History and Visual Studies
Learning to Look: Explorations in Visual Literacy ($4,850 BC Campus Funding) - Sara Humphreys, Academic and Technical Writing Program (ATWP)
“It’s the End of the World as We Know It”: Generative AI and Academic Writing ($3,300 BC Campus Funding) - David Leach, Department of Writing
The Climate Disaster Project: Open Source Trauma-Informed Storytelling and Climate Journalism ($7,500) - Matthew Pollard, Department of Germanic and Slavic Studies
Fostering Diversity and Inclusion in the Language Classroom: Creating OER materials and adopting OER content for First-Year German ($7,500 BC Campus and OER Grant Funding)
2021-2022
- Ilamparithi Thirumarai Chelvan, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Creating an open textbook for ECE365 (Applied Electronics and Electrical Machines) course ($7,500) - Gerry Ferguson, Faculty of Law
Global Corruption: Law, Theory and Practice ($7,500) - Sara Humphreys, Academic and Technical Writing Program (ATWP)
The Why Write Project: An Anti-Racist Writing Guide for Instructors and Students at the University of Victoria ($7,500) - Valerie Irvine, Department of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Technology
Internet Radio for Open Community Engagement ($7,500) - Alexandra (Sasha) Kovacs, Department of Theatre
Theatre Artist Interview and Reflection Podcast: Theatre History IV Companion Podcast ($7,297) - Adam Krawitz, Department of Psychology
decidables: Explorable Explanations of Decision Making ($3,531) - Michael Paskevicius, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
UVic Open Hub Community Development ($7,500 BC Campus Funding) - Lijun Zhang, Department of Economics
Adaptation of OpenStax Textbook in Econ 104: Canadian Contents ($7,477)
2020-2021
- Sara Humphreys, Department of English, Academic and Technical Writing Program
Why Write?: A Guide for Advanced Student Researchers in Canada ($7,257)
