Higher education affordability and student success are important to the Clemson Family. As faculty, we have very little direct control over the cost of higher education, with one exception—the textbooks we assign to our students. Textbooks costs can reach several hundred to upwards of $1,000 per semester, and as a result, many of our students choose not to purchase textbooks and they suffer academically as a result. Clemson Online and Clemson Libraries have partnered to award one $2,000 stipend to a faculty member in each college who commits to adopting Open Educational Resources (OER) for one of their courses. Support will be available through the libraries to locate, evaluate, and integrate OER into their courses.
OER are instructional materials (such as textbooks) that are free to use and openly licensed to allow unlimited distribution and modification. These resources can save students thousands on textbook costs, helping to even the playing field for those struggling to afford higher education. And, since OER are created by experts and peer-reviewed, research has shown that they are just as effective as traditional textbooks. Thanks to open licensing, faculty can even customize content to their particular courses. Click here to read more about OER.
Full award details available at http://www.clemson.edu/online/oer/stipend.html
