This guide supports UMD instructors with finding, assigning, and creating affordable textbooks and teaching materials, including open educational resources (OERs)
The resources on this page are intended to support UMD library workers and iSchool affiliates with open education professional development, usage, and advocacy.
SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) is a major advocate for open knowledge of all kinds. Sign up for their Open Education Forum listserv to connect with other OER practitioners and learn about open resources and opportunities.
The Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) initiative supports long-term, statewide scaling and sustainability of OER to increase access, affordability, and achievement for Maryland higher education students. Sign up for updates: https://www.oer-maryland.org/contact/. You may also want to share information on their annual OER grants with instructors, view names of past UMD grantees, or apply yourself: https://www.oer-maryland.org/support-sustain/most-oer-grant-program/
As a member of the Open Education Network, UMD College Park has access to OER support, resources, and professional development opportunities. Check out the OEN's well-known Open Textbook Library. If you'd like an even deeper dive, their full Certificate in Open Education Librarianship curriculum is offered openly on Canvas.
An annual celebration, Open Education Week (OE Week) is an opportunity for actively sharing and learning about the latest achievements in open education worldwide.
Website for one of the largest conferences in the field of open education. Visit their YouTube library to explore conference presentations on different topics in open ed.
Outlines the findings of a 2021 task force that investigated affordable course resources and OER at UMD. Authored by Gary White (Senior Associate Dean of Research and Academic Services, UMD Libraries) and Mary Warneka (Associate Director of Learning Experience, UMD TLTC).
Guidance to help faculty and staff advocate for the inclusion of open educational practices (OEP) in promotion, tenure, and faculty evaluation processes
This 2020 bill requires each University System of Maryland institution to develop a method to clearly and conspicuously show students in the online course catalog which courses use free or low-cost digital materials and may provide access to certain low-cost print materials (AKA "course marking"). It also mandates that certain course resources be equally accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities. One potential area of OER advocacy for the Libraries is to work with stakeholders to implement this at UMD.
“Inclusive access,” also known as automatic textbook billing, is a textbook sales model that adds the cost of digital course content into students’ tuition and fees. This quick guide from SPARC discusses challenges with this model and how to have effective conversations about it on campus.
