Staebler Insurance OER Fellows grant guidelines

Full-time instructors whose employment will span the length of the grant (i.e. until April 30, 2025).

Funds from this grant may be used broadly to compensate for time and/or to buy software needed to develop the proposed OER. Examples of eligible expenses include:

• Hiring research assistants
• Hiring third parties to do design and/or production work
• Purchasing specific apps/software needed for project
• Honoraria: contributions of experts, UX testing, etc.

Ineligible expenses:

• Travel
• Course release
• Direct compensation for applicants (e.g. honoraria, consultancy fees)

• Adapting an available open textbook for use in a Waterloo course
• Turning self-developed materials into OER
• Creating open learning objects for a Waterloo course (e.g., a series of learning tasks, demonstrations, experiments)
• Creating course resources that involve students as co-creators
• Developing open ancillary materials for a Waterloo course (e.g., a student-developed glossary of terms)
• Creating audio or visual material featuring topic experts

Check out the previously funded projects and OER created by various Waterloo faculty for inspiration!

The application consists of a web form, which will ask you to provide the following documents:

• your CV (either a link to your profile page or an uploaded copy),
• filled in application form (.docx),
• budget (.xlsx), and
• timeline (.xlsx). 

Please use the templates provided.

The evaluation committee will consist of two librarians, one instructor, and one member from an Academic Support Unit. The committee will consider the following criteria when making their decision:

• Usefulness of the planned OER for facilitating student learning
• Ability to meet an underserved need (in your field/in your department/of your students)
• Number of learners served
• Potential cost savings to students 
• Potential for reuse of the OER in subsequent terms or in other courses at UW or elsewhere
• Feasibility of plan and timelines
• Feasibility of budget
• Plan for the maintenance of OER developed during the project
• Plan for evaluating learners’ experience with the OER
• Evidence of teaching experience and familiarity with course content

Interested in OER but not sure how to get started? Check out these resources:

• University of Alberta OER Starter Kit
• Pressbooks User Guide (Pressbooks is currently free through eCampus Ontario)
• Creative Commons licensing information

In addition to the above web resources, the Library and the Centre for Extended Learning Agile Development Team are able to support project planning before submission to the grant, and can provide development support for successful projects. Areas of support include: 

• Library - Consultations with Lauren Byl (copyright and licensing librarian) and Abbey Colucci (open education and instructional design librarian) on project planning, Creative Commons licensing, accessibility, and copyright concerns. Send your consultation request to OERgrant@uwaterloo.ca.
• Centre for Extended Learning - Consultations with the CEL's Agile Development Team on instructional design (e.g. online pedagogy, online digital learning materials), multimedia development, accessibility review, and user experience testing

In addition, the Centre for Teaching Excellence provides information and tips on accessibilty in teaching and inclusive instructional practices.