Western launches OER grant program, supports to make education more accessible

Western University is piloting an open education resources (OER) grant and support program that offers instructors funding and support for integrating OER into their teaching. The grant follows from Western Libraries’ strategic plan, which prioritizes making learning more equitable. OER materials fit into this plan, as they are free and easily accessible for all students. Research and scholarly communication librarian Emily Carlisle-Johnston states that OER materials can also be customized to different courses, providing more flexibility to instructors. “We recognize embracing OER is not always an easy feat,” Carlisle-Johnston said. “Research conducted by an open education working group at Western a couple of years ago revealed the biggest perceived barriers around open education were time, awareness and expertise.” Western Note: Archived stories may contain dead links or be missing source links.