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Grants

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Submission Deadline: OER Grant Applications are now open for 2024! The deadline to apply is May 22nd 2024


The AtlanticOER Development Grants Program is made possible through funding from the provincial governments of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador. AtlanticOER Development Grants are intended to encourage and support educators in the Atlantic Region in the adaptation, adoption, creation, and curation of open educational resources (OER), and to increase access to course materials for students. The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) defines OERs as “free to use and openly licensed teaching and learning materials." As stated by leading open education proponent David Wiley, “‘open content’ describes a copyrightable work that is licensed in a way that ‘provides users with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities which are retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute.”

These grants are intended for individuals, departments, groups, and institutions (e.g., educators, teaching and learning centres, libraries, and OER working groups) in the Atlantic Provinces to help achieve the following objectives:
  • To support the creation or adaptation of open textbooks and ancillary materials, such as PowerPoint slides, quiz banks, images, and other digital study or interactive aids
  • To create a variety of OERs developed for use by educators and students in credit-bearing courses
  • To establish supportive events for the development of content for OERs, such as sprints (a collaborative in-person or virtual event to create or adapt an open textbook or ancillary resources)
  • To distribute funds to maximize direct benefit to a wide range of student learners and inquiry across a diversity of disciplines

There are 3 different tiers of funding that applicants can apply for. Each tier represents a different scope and type of project. OER Sprint projects are also eligible for grant funding. The three tiers are:

Creation of a new open textbook (up to $7,000)
This funding is intended for the development of a new open textbook. The topic should not be covered in an already existing open textbook. This tier is meant for creation projects at a larger scale. 
Adaptation of an already existing open textbook (up to $3,500)
This funding is intended for substantive adaptation projects. Sometimes, it can be possible to find an open textbook that covers foundational knowledge, but which needs to be adjusted. For example, the textbook might need adjustments to ensure it adheres to local educational standards, adjustments might be made to make it relevant to the local context (eg, an American business textbook may need adjustments to make it suitable for a Canadian business context), or new examples and interactive elements may be added to a book. 
Creating new ancillary materials (up to $1,000)
This funding is intended for smaller creation projects. Ancillary materials can be defined as course materials that are meant to supplement and support a textbook. Examples of ancillary materials include: slide decks, interactive tutorials, and quiz and test banks. Often, ancillary materials can enhance student learning. 

Who Can Apply?

At least one applicant must be currently employed by a CAAL-CBPA member institution and either be engaged in or proposing the adaptation or creation of the OER for a credit-bearing course at a CAAL-CBPA member institution. At least one applicant must be able to assign readings for the credit bearing course for which the OER is intended. Single, joint, or team applications are all encouraged.

Eligible Expenses

Support
Support for student research assistants; Support for persons with a particular expertise/skill set not found at the applicant’s institution.
Development
Development of ancillary material i.e. test banks of questions to support open materials, simulations, instructor, lab and studio manuals, presentations, multimedia content, data collection instruments and support for data collection and analysis.
Events/sprints
Events such as “sprints” where content is being created for an OER
Resources
Including, but not limited to, resources for hosting a sprint event (food, office supplies, facility fees, consultation fees, etc.), software, etc.
  • A reasonable description of the development of the OER
  • The duration of the project, including a project timetable
  • A detailed assessment of costs of the project
  • An assessment of the potential impact on the student experience
  • A description of how you will measure success (e.g. improved access to curriculum, new partnerships, number of adoptions, money saved by students as a result, etc.)
  • A commitment to be accessible for those with disabilities (e.g. viewable by screen readers)
  • The inclusion of plans to use the OER in subsequent semesters
  • A plan to maintain the currency and relevancy of the OER
  • Agreement that the end product will be open as possible, with an Creative Commons license (it is understood that indigenous traditional knowledge materials may require more restrictive licensing per specific cultural requirements)
  • Completion of the required forms
  • Projects must commence in the year for which the grant is awarded
  • The CAAL-CBPA Executive Director ensures announcements are placed on the AtlanticOER website and shared via other communication channels as appropriate
  • Funds will be disbursed to the lead applicant’s institutional grants office, or equivalent, unless otherwise indicated. The Grant funds will be sent as one lump sum to a single CAAL-CBPA institution, so if multiple CAAL-CBPA institutions are represented in the application, the applicants will designate to which institution the money is to be sent. The CAAL-CBPA Executive Director will coordinate this process once the competition results have been announced
  • A report will be filed with the CAAL-CBPA Executive Director within two months of the completion of the project or two years after receiving the grant, whichever is the shorter time period
  • The grant must be acknowledged in publications and presentations emanating from the research or development accomplished through an AtlanticOER Development Grant
  • The end product should use a Creative Commons license that is as open as possible
Proposals will be adjudicated by the CAAL-CBPA OER Committee. This Committee is composed of the six (6) CAAL-CBPA members plus one CAAL-CBPA Board member. In addition, the Committee shall have at least one representative from each member stakeholder group, such as, but not limited to, educators, students, and instructional designers. The CAAL-CBPA Executive Director will sit ex-officio. Members will serve two-year terms.

The Committee will assess all proposals using a single-blind approach. This means that the CAAL-CBPA Executive Director will know the identities of individuals submitting proposals, but during the review process, the members of the Committee will not. It will be the responsibility of the Executive Director to verify that the proposers meet the requirements outlined under “Eligibility Criteria” and have submitted the proper documentation specified under “Submission of Proposals”.

Proposals for funding are judged on:
  • The extent to which they include curation and customization of OER that will be freely and openly shared.
  • Their potential impact on student experience in the form of high-quality materials, maximum access (e.g., Creative Commons licenses), open and innovative pedagogy, and cost savings to students.
  • The inclusion of plans to re-use open educational resources in courses in subsequent semesters
  • The overall quality of the application