SPARC Projects

Connect OER

Open Education

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC, United States
Official Website • @EastCarolina

Type: Public 4-Year, Research University
Annual Enrollment: 27,511

  SPARC Member  

OER Webpage
OER LibGuide

Overview

Over the past three years, ECU Libraries have supported multiple textbook affordability initiatives, including OER, on campus. J.Y. Joyner Library leads these initiatives in order to focus on reducing textbook costs for students through multiple options that include OER and library subscription materials.

The Alternative Textbook Program, now in its third year, offers $1,000 stipends to faculty interested in utilizing course materials that are free to students. Many faculty participating in the program adopt an open textbook or use a combination of open resources with library materials. Faculty participating in the program are matched with a personal librarian.

In addition to this program, ECU Libraries have participated in the Open Textbook Network (OTN) trainings and initiatives through a grant awarded to the UNC University Library Advisory Committee. A group of librarians provided OTN training on OER to librarians at the University of North Carolina system schools. ECU has held a librarian and faculty training on open textbooks during 2017-2018.

ECU is also participating in the statewide initiative, Open Education North Carolina, which is led by NC LIVE, the state’s library cooperative. The program’s goal is to reduce textbook costs for students at two-and four-year colleges across the state. ECU is part of the OER Advisory Committee and has a representative who will co-lead faculty and librarian trainings across Eastern North Carolina.

ECU offers support for Open Education in these areas:

-Identifying OER for courses
-Adopting OER for courses
-Creative Commons Licensing
-Copyright Consultation

Campus Details

Campus Entities Most Active in Efforts Advancing OER:

Library Departments Active in Efforts Advancing OER:

Academic Subjects With Greatest OER Traction:

Mechanisms to Support OER Included in the Following:


OER Programs

Alternative Textbook Program

The Alternative Textbook Program is a mini-grant initiative for faculty who are interested in replacing traditional textbooks with open textbooks, library subscription materials, or other free materials. The goals of the program are: 1) Reduce textbook costs for students at ECU, 2) Assist faculty in identifying more customized resources for their classes. Faculty participating in the program are matched with a personal librarian to assist with identifying resources and answering general questions.
As of last year, 52 faculty have participated in the program, with potential textbook savings of $677,481.18. Currently, there are 8 faculty participating during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Program Type:

Duration: 03/2015 - Present

Program Webpage: https://lib.ecu.edu/scholcomm/textbookinitiatives.aspx

Scope: Cost-free course content, including OER

Primary OER Strategy: OER Adoption

Secondary OER Strategies: OER Adaptation, OER Awareness, OER Pedagogy, OER Review/Assessment

Unit Housing the Program:

Source of Program Funding:

Funding from Library Departments:

Total Program Funding to Date: $ 61,000

Total Student Savings to Date: $ 677,477

Incentives Offered by the Program:

Conditions: Recipients are encouraged to openly license and freely share resources created or adapted

Total amount of incentive grants awarded to date: $ 61,000

Total number of incentive grants awarded to date: 60

Typical amount of each grant: $ 1,000

OER Resources

Open Educational Resources Guide

An introductory LibGuide on Open Educational Resources. The guide includes sections on identifying OER and using Creative Commons.


Point of Contact

Jeanne Hoover
Scholarly Communication Librarian, Research and Scholarly Communication Department
@jhoov3r