The OER Mini-Grant program enables CCC faculty to reduce student textbook costs and enhance educational outcomes by supporting the adoption, adaptation, and promotion of Open Educational Resources (OER) within their courses. When faculty choose to publish and share their work openly, they not only broaden the reach of their scholarship but also create flexible materials that fit a wide range of classes and teaching styles. This commitment helps drive zero-textbook cost options, making learning more affordable and accessible for every CCC student.
Support student success and affordability.
Join a growing community of OER champions.
Receive funding for meaningful, impactful course transformation.
For the OER Adopter mini-grant at the City Colleges of Chicago, faculty will select a complete open-access textbook from a reputable source, such as OpenStax, the Open Textbook Library, or LibreText, prioritizing texts with strong positive reviews. Faculty may reorganize or remove chapters to better meet their specific course objectives. In addition, the chosen OER will be integrated into the course syllabus, and supplementary materials such as slides, assignments, quizzes, or other teaching tools may be created or identified as needed to support student learning. The adopted textbook and materials will be implemented the next time the course is taught.
Reporting & Deliverables
All grantees must attend progress meetings with their designated OER contact at CCC and provide a brief report that provides an update on their progress and whether they need to adjust their plan or timeline.
Final deliverables
Successfully implement proposed plan.
Provide annotated syllabus using OER.
Integrate OER modules into BrightSpace course site.
Submit report upon completion of the project including URLs for all OER course materials.
Post-grant requirement
After final payment, the grantees are required to:
Teach the designated course using the adopted OER text in the following semester.
Course taught will need to be designated as zero-cost in CCC Class Schedule.
Provide the CCC bookstore with information about the OER including the link for all assigned sections where the OER will be taught.
Post instruction, complete a faculty survey and assist in administering student survey regarding the quality of the OER adoption. Submit assessment report with survey results to OER Taskforce/Grant Coordinators.
Faculty may adapt content in any one of the following ways:
Substantially revise an existing OER to better align with course objectives or to update and expand content.
Integrate multiple existing OER sources into a cohesive set of course materials.
Combine existing OER with newly created original content to produce a unified instructional resource.
Develop robust ancillary materials such as assessments, learning activities, or multimedia resources to enhance an OER already in use.
By the conclusion of the grant period, faculty will have produced a customized, fully integrated, and freely available educational resource that enhances teaching and learning while contributing to the broader OER community. The augmented/remixed textbook and materials will be implemented the next time the course is taught. Consult this resource for guidance.
Reporting & Deliverables
All grantees must attend progress meetings with their designated OER contact at CCC and provide a brief report that provides an update on their progress and whether they need to adjust their plan or timeline.
Final deliverables:
Successfully implement proposed plan.
Publish OER in an open repository (e.g. LibreTexts, OER Commons).
Publish OER with a Creative Commons license.
Integrate OER modules into BrightSpace course site.
Submit summary report upon completion of the project which includes link to adapted OER materials and/or BrightSpace course shell with all OER course materials.
In the following semester, teach the course using the remixed OER text.
Course taught will need to be designated as zero-cost in CCC Class Schedule.
Provide the CCC bookstore with information about the OER including the link for all assigned sections where the OER will be taught.
Post instruction, complete a faculty survey and assist in administering student survey regarding the quality of the OER adoption. Submit assessment report with survey results to OER Taskforce/Grant Coordinators.
As part of the OER Augment Mini-Grant at City Colleges of Chicago, grant recipients will undertake a series of coordinated activities designed to advance open education within their discipline. Applicants must have already implemented an OER in their course in order to apply for this grant.
Reporting & Deliverables
All grantees must attend progress meetings with their designated OER contact at CCC and provide a brief report that provides an update on their progress and whether they need to adjust their plan or timeline.
Final deliverables:
Successfully carry out and document the proposed activities.
Complete a recognized OER professional development course such as: Texas Learn OER, ASCCCC OERI (Academic Senate for California Community Colleges – Open Educational Resources Initiative), or a comparable OER training focused on advocacy or one that is discipline-specific. Fee-based trainings may be covered by CCC professional development funds.
Organize and lead at least three outreach activities about OER for CCC faculty within your discipline. These can include OER presentations in department meetings, live and/or recorded webinars, faculty development opportunities, or workshops through the Center for Teaching and Learning. These presentations can include options for attendees to follow-up with office hours.
Submit a final summary report at the end of the project. This report should include the names and contact information of event participants.
Attend an OER Information Session
There are a number of faculty development workshops around OERs. Here is a listing of live or prerecorded OER workshop providers you can choose from.
Submit a brief application including your project type, OER details, impact statement, and proposed timeline.
For additional details, please consult the application forms listed below.
Stipends will be paid upon OER completion of deliverables.
Most projects span one semester for planning (remixing may take up to a year).
Course instruction using the OER materials will take place in the following semester when it is next offered.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis beginning in Fall semester each year until funding is exhausted.