Apply for a $10,000 grant to create an open textbook

 A new round of UM OER Grants (up to $10,000) is available to help faculty and instructors create digital, open access course materials. Applications are now being accepted for the 2024-25 academic year.

Through the Advance Open Ed 2023-24 project, UM Libraries provided financial and practical assistance for the creation of nine open educational resources (OER) publications. This will continue in the 2024-25 academic year, with educational opportunities about open scholarship for the UM community.

Funds are available to participate in the upcoming Creative Commons certificate programs and the virtual Open Education Conference in October 2024.

UM OER Grant

Full-time tenure track/tenured faculty, continuing/probationary instructors, and librarians are eligible to apply for a grant to create, adapt and/or adopt an OER. Applications are now being accepted.

Grant value: $10,000 maximum
Application deadline: September 27, 2024
Notification of successful applications: ongoing basis

See the Advance Open Ed web page and Grant Application Guideline for details.

Free workshop: Publishing as Knowledge Sharing in the Digital Age

UM Libraries will host a free in-person workshop on community-based Indigenous studies, digital publishing, and the RavenSpace publishing platform. 

Tuesday, May 14, 2024
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
100 Fletcher Argue Building
Fort Garry Campus
University of Manitoba

The morning session (10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon) will include an interactive discussion contrasting conventional publishing with new possibilities for digital scholarship. The afternoon session (12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) will provide a hands-on workshop for authors and groups exploring publication.

The workshop will be facilitated by Darcy Cullen, Assistant Director, Acquisitions, UBC Press.

A light lunch will be served. There is no cost to participate in the workshop. Please register before Thursday, May 9. Contact Glenn Bergen for further details.

Funds for educational opportunities

CC Certificate courses

Creative Commons (CC) licensing is an essential tool for open education to protect intellectual property while permitting access, sharing, and collaboration. To promote knowledge and awareness of CC, UM Libraries is offering a limited number of paid registrations to CC Certificate courses.

The 10-week asynchronous online courses (with an estimated 6-10 hours per week of coursework) are offered on June 10 – August 18, 2024, and September 23 – December 1, 2024. They lead to specialization in open licensing and training to help others understand and implement open licenses.

Applications are open to faculty, staff, and students. Preference will be given to those actively involved in open pedagogy and open publishing. Visit the Advance Open Ed web page for details.

Open Education Conference

The Open Education Conference will take place on October 8-10, 2024. Details will be provided as soon as registration is available.

About OER and Open at UM

OER are freely available and adaptable course materials. Typically shared under a Creative Commons license, they can be produced in many formats, including video or interactive modules, but most are produced as open textbooks or teaching materials.

According to an UMSU survey with over 1000 students in 2021, students identified the adoption of OER as their highest priority. UM is committed to facilitating student learning and enhancing the student experience by making education affordable and accessible with OER.

Explore Open@UM to learn more about open access and open scholarship at UM.

Libraries Staff