Open Educational Resources (OER)

The Bell Library’s Zero Textbook Cost Stipend program wants to fund your ideas for an OER or other textbook alternative in your class. Whether you’re interested in adopting an existing textbook or designing a next-generation package of online resources and videos, the Zero Textbook Cost program can fund your great idea with a stipend between $1,000 and $3,500 (larger stipends may be available for larger-scale and impact projects, which would include group projects).

Keep reading to learn more about the Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) program or you can contact us with questions at: OER@tamucc.edu. A link to the application is also included below.

We look forward to hearing from you! 

Timeline for 2025-2026  

Available Stipends: Adopt/Adapt/Create an Open Textbook (or Other Learning Materials)

Redesign your course to incorporate open educational resources. There are three levels of stipend award, and typical award amounts are given below. The library reserves the right to award more or less than the typical award depending on the nature of the project.

• adopt: use free materials as is (typically this means adopting an open textbook) - $1000
• adapt: edit an existing book, or combine multiple open resources into one to better fit class topics and presentation order - $2500
• create: write your own open textbook - $3500

Awardees agree to use the open materials during the 2026-2027 academic year and participate in the assessment provided by Bell Library.  

Eligibility of Applicants and Projects

Eligible Applicants

TAMU-CC instructors of record (faculty) are eligible for funding at the course and/or section level (i.e., could be all sections of a program of instruction, or just the section or sections under the applicant’s control). Adjunct instructors who are invited to collaborate on an OER Stipend project as part of a team are eligible to receive a stipend but the team must be include at least one full-time instructor.

Activities Ineligible for Funding

Funded projects must reduce the learning materials cost of the targeted course to zero. Projects which incorporate a learning platform that costs students money to access, even a low-cost platform based on open educational resources, do not qualify. The syllabus for the course may neither require nor recommend a textbook, courseware, or other learning material which must be purchased. 

Proposals to purchase commercial electronic versions of textbooks or rentals of textbooks do not qualify for a stipend. Adoption proposals for courses that have already adopted open materials do not qualify for a stipend.

Criteria, Conditions, and Stipend Rules

Selection and Additional Criteria

Applications must be submitted by December 1, 2025. Submissions will be evaluated by the Bell Library OER Working Group and awardees will be contacted on or before December 8, 2025. Awardees will be selected based on the narrative responses to the proposal questions, as well as: 

• Impact: preference will be given to projects that offer the highest potential savings to TAMU-CC students (based on enrollment and current course material costs).

• Quality and strength of the application and how well it meets requirements (see rubric below) 

• How well the application addresses the accessibility of the course materials and the sustainability of the resource beyond initial use

• Preference will be given for:

  • First-time applicants to the stipend program

  • Applicants from a department that has previously not engaged in OER

  • high enrollment courses

Applications will be reviewed based on a rubric (see below).

Conditions of the Award

Awardees are expected to comply with several provisions designed to ensure that faculty undertaking projects are sufficiently familiar with OER and that the materials selected are openly licensed or available via the library. Awardees also are required to provide feedback to inform assessment of the stipend initiative. Generally, awardees agree to: 

• Attend required meeting with members of the OER Working Group between November 18 and December 19, 2025

• Complete a short course on OER designed to strengthen understanding of open education principles and practices  

• Submit progress report by May 16, 2026

• Apply an OER-compatible Creative Commons license to the final product (if adapting or creating OER) 

• Provide final product/s for deposit into the TAMU-CC Repository (if adapting or creating OER). 

• Ensure that all materials meet WCAG 2.0 accessibility guidelines. 

• Submit all deliverables by July 10, 2026

• Teach with ZTC materials during 2026-2027 academic year and participate in assessment provided by Bell Library 

Stipend Rules

Upon acceptance, the applicant will be informed via email and provided with a Letter of Award. Projects aren’t formally launched until the Letter of Award is signed by the applicant(s) and returned.

Stipend funding is dispensed as salary (subject to taxation) and is issued directly via payroll upon completion of the project.

Step 1: Gather Information

For the ZTC stipend, you will need the following information: 

• Course name and number 
• Course title 
• Approximate number of students per academic year 
• Title and cost of current textbook(s) (if applicable) 
• How many semesters you plan to use this book 
• Types of support required for success 
• Anticipated implementation semester 

Step 2: Write a proposal addressing the following: 

• A brief statement describing your motivation for undertaking this project. Can include comments about your experience with OER, concerns about your current course materials, concerns about student performance in the target class, etc.  
• Pedagogical Innovation: How does your project contribute to pedagogical innovation? Is OER new to your department? Are the resources you plan to use or create innovative in a way that a traditional textbook is not? 
• Student Impact: How does your project benefit TAMU-CC students (based on enrollment and current course materials) and/or benefit students and instructors across the field at other institutions? 
• How do you intend to make your work sustainable across multiple courses and semesters? 
• Implementation Plan: How will you implement OER in your course? What course redesign is entailed? If adapting existing OER or creating your own, what platform will you use, what format(s) will be provided (e.g., website, PDF/A, e-book, video, etc.)?  
• How will copyright issues be addressed? (e.g., if using content owned by third parties, is the use allowable under fair use or through a Creative Commons license? Copyright information, resources, and consultations are available via the Copyright Guide.)
• How will you ensure your materials are accessible? Please see WCAG 2.0 accessibility guidelines.
• How will students access the OER? Is it downloadable and/or printable, and mobile device viewable?  
• Will you require support from Bell Library (e.g., help in identifying resources, consult on copyright or accessibility issues)?  
• What challenges do you foresee for you or your students?  
• If you are submitting an application as a team, include some idea of what each team member’s responsibilities will be.   
• What are your expected outcomes? How will you know they were achieved? 

Step 3: Submit your application by Monday, December 1, 2025.

Part I

Please rank the overall proposal on a scale from 1-5:  

1 = poor quality, 2 = low quality, 3 = solid quality, 4 = high quality, 5 = outstanding quality 

Pedagogical Innovation: Does the proposal describe materials that do something innovative, that a traditional textbook could not?  

• Yes 
• No 
• Don’t know/didn’t answer 
• Write in option:  

Impact: Does the proposal describe materials that will benefit many students at TAMU-CC (based on enrollment and current course material costs) and/or benefit students and instructors across the field at many institutions? Consider the sustainability over multiple courses and multiple semesters.

• Yes  

• No 

• Don’t know/didn’t answer 

• Write in option:   

Ability to Succeed: Does the proposal describe materials that could reasonably be created or adopted for the 2024-2025 academic year? Does it adequately describe logistics and identify resources within or beyond the Library that can help the instructor meet any challenges posed by the proposal such as technical needs, licensing support, etc.  

• Yes 

• No 

• Don’t know/didn’t answer 

• Write in option:  

Part II

Please rank all proposals based on their priority for funding:

Group A: These proposals should definitely be funded:  

Group B: These proposals should be funded if resources are available, in rank order: 

Group C: These proposals need more work before we are comfortable funding them: