DENVER ~ The Colorado Commission on Higher Education has recently approved 21 proposals for Open Educational Resources (OER) projects, as well as 10 professional development awards. These initiatives aim to provide high-quality teaching and learning materials at no cost to students in Colorado, with a particular focus on rural institutions of higher education.

Governor Polis expressed his enthusiasm for these grants, stating that they will help save students hundreds of dollars on their textbooks, which can be a major financial burden in higher education. He also highlighted the importance of reaching rural colleges and universities, as this will extend the reach of OER and make higher education more affordable and accessible for all.

This is the sixth year of the OER grant program, which has already saved Colorado students over $42.1 million on textbook costs and transformed more than 1,900 courses to no cost by creating, adapting, and adopting free openly licensed educational resources at campuses across the state.

The program awards funds to public higher education institutions for various purposes such as zero textbook degree development, collaborative partnerships, small group projects, institutional general incentive funds, individual courses, and professional development. The seventh-year cohort of OER grantees includes 25 Colorado institutions and four collaborative projects involving multiple institutions. More than half of the $1 million in funding was awarded to zero textbook-cost degree development projects. Ten projects will develop "Z-Degrees" for students to complete their degree with zero textbook cost in disciplines ranging from nursing to theater. Additionally, rural professional development awards will support travel to the state OER conference and the 2025 International Open Education Conference.

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Dr. Angie Paccione, executive director of CDHE (Colorado Department of Higher Education), emphasized the importance of providing resources that make higher education accessible and affordable for students. She stated that while textbooks are necessary for students' success, they also need course plans and modules free of cost - something that these OER grants aim to achieve.

The OER Council, in collaboration with CDHE, hosts events and professional development opportunities to promote the open education movement in Colorado. During Open Education Week 2025 from March 4-8, campuses across the state will hold interactive webinars, trainings, and award faculty using OER. The annual statewide OER conference will also take place on May 30 at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. This conference provides instructors, librarians, and administrators with professional development to advance open education across the state. The theme for this year's conference is "Mapping the Open Road: Navigating the Future of OER." Registration for the conference is free and opens in March.

The grant program was established by H.B. 18-1331 in 2018 and expanded for five additional years with S.B. 21-215. It was championed by the Colorado General Assembly's Joint Budget Committee and charged Colorado's OER Council with advising the Department on aspects of the initiative. To learn more about the program and its impacts, read the 2024 report "Transforming Education Practices through Open Educational Resources."

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The OER Council is a nationally recognized advisory group created by statute that provides expert opinion in areas such as academics and library sciences to support open education development. The council works closely with CDHE staff in an advisory capacity.

Overall, these initiatives demonstrate Colorado's commitment to making higher education more accessible and affordable for all students through innovative approaches like OER. With these grants and ongoing efforts from organizations like CDHE and the OER Council, students can look forward to a future where textbooks are no longer a financial barrier to their education.

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