University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN, United States
Official Website
• @umnews
Type: Public 4-Year, Research University
Annual Enrollment: 51,147
Overview
A wide range of campus units have been involved in efforts to promote the utilization of OER and other affordable course content at the University of Minnesota. The University Libraries eLearning Support Initiative and Publishing Services promotes the use of OER and publishes openly licensed textbooks. Many of these projects originated through the Libraries Partnership for Affordable Content grant program. As a member of Unizin, the Libraries also partner with other member institutions to create a sustainable, multi-institution program.
The College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) established the Open Textbook Library (OTL) in order to facilitate access to vetted and reviewed texts. The OTL is used worldwide as a gateway to quality openly licensed textbooks. CEHD also established the Open Textbook Network to encourage the adoption and creation of open textbooks through a group of member institutions.
Campus Details
Campus Entities Most Active in Efforts Advancing OER:
- Academic Division
- Campus Store
- Library
Academic Subjects With Greatest OER Traction:
- Architecture and construction
- Biological and related sciences
- Education
- Health (incl. medicine, nursing)
- Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
- Journalism and reporting
- Languages
- Mathematics and statistics
- Psychology
- Other
OER Staff Location:
- Academic Division
- Library
OER Programs
Partnership for Affordable Content Grant program
A competitive grant for faculty and instructors to work with library staff to implement affordable high quality content options in their courses as an alternative to high cost commercial textbooks and other expensive course materials.
Program Type:
- Grant Program
Duration: 03/2015 - Present
Program Webpage: https://www.lib.umn.edu/elearning/partnership
Scope: Affordable course content, including cost-free course content and OER
Primary OER Strategy: OER Publication
Secondary OER Strategies: OER Adaptation, OER Adoption, OER Awareness, OER Curation
Unit Housing the Program:
- Library
Source of Program Funding:
- Library’s general operating budget
Funding from Library Departments:
- Administration
Total Program Funding to Date: $ 95,000
Total Student Savings to Date: $ 2,350,000
Incentives Offered by the Program:
- Financial incentives (grants, stipends)
- Technical assistance
- Other: Project support
Conditions: Recipients are encouraged to openly license and freely share resources created or adapted
Total amount of incentive grants awarded to date: $ 95,000
Total number of incentive grants awarded to date: 77
Typical amount of each grant: $ 1,250
OER Resources
Open Textbook Library
Open textbooks are textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. These books have been reviewed by faculty from a variety of colleges and universities to assess their quality. These books can be downloaded for no cost, or printed at low cost. All textbooks are either used at multiple higher education institutions; or affiliated with an institution, scholarly society, or professional organization.
Point of Contact
Kristi Jensen
Program Development Lead, eLearning Support Initiative