The price of a college degree continues to rise. In addition to tuition and fees, course materials, such as textbooks, add to the cost of a student’s education. In January 2018, the University’s Student Government Board passed a resolution supporting expanded use of Open Educational Resources (OER) and open textbooks as a means to control costs. In response to the resolution, a standing committee was formed.
OER Standing Committee
The standing committee in the Office of the Provost will provide a targeted and sustained OER awareness program.
Open Education Resource Grants
To support the development of open educational resources the Provost provides funding for projects that will enhance the educational experiences of Pitt students and provide these faculty with the ability to customize their course materials. View past OER Grant awardees.
Course Attribute: Open Education Resources
Students now have the ability to identify classes using open education resources in the Pitt Class Search. If you are using an open education resource in your class, consider adding "open education resources materials" to the class attributes field when entering your class information.
OER Funding Application
The Office of the Provost invites proposals from Pitt faculty for projects to adapt, adopt and/or create Open Educational Resources (OER) to be used in an existing Pitt course(s). Proposals are due Wednesday March 15, 2023. Awardees will be notified by the end of spring term. For more details and to apply, visit the application on InfoReady.
Office hours will be held on Feb. 21 and 22, 2023 for prospective applicant questions.
For a list of past awardees, view Open Education Resources Grants Awardees; to view a selection of past projects that have received funding from this grant program, view our OER Commons collections.