Affordable Course Materials and OER at NEIU

Traditional textbook prices have risen exponentially over the years, and this cost is a recognized national problem in higher education that contributes to declining student success and retention. According to the 2020 NEIU Climate Study, our own students indicated that after tuition, the cost of course materials was their next biggest financial concern, above housing, food, and healthcare.

The Affordable Course Materials Committee was formed to look into this issue on campus, and one of our initiatives is a summer program designed for faculty to transition their courses from using traditional, costly textbooks to using open educational resources (OER).

During our last three summer programs, 34 courses have been re-designed using OER, impacting 877 students, adding up to more than $105,000 in textbook savings for one semester!

Goal

To redesign an existing course and reduce the cost of the course materials to $40 or less using open 
educational resources and other low-cost resources.

Overview

• A stipend of $1000 will be given to selected applicants who complete the training and meet the requirements of the program at the end of the Summer 2025 term. Funds will be distributed in 2 payments; 50% upon completion of training sessions and asynchronous assignments, and 50% upon project completion and reporting.

• Priority will be given to undergraduate courses that fulfill general education requirements, as well as courses with high enrollment so that the cost savings will have the greatest impact on NEIU students.

• Instructors who complete this process are required to share course materials (e.g. syllabi, D2L course shells, etc.) at no cost with a creative commons license.

• Faculty will receive support from an NEIU librarian, instructional designers, and a faculty mentor to explore open and no-cost textbooks, review library materials that are free to students, learn about creative commons licensing, and apply accessibility practices to materials in D2L.

Eligibility

• Any instructor at NEIU, part-time or full-time
• Courses where the instructional materials are already less than $40 are not eligible

Event Dates

• Tuesday, May 20 and Tuesday, May 27, 2025 10am-1pm: Online training sessions

• July 7, 2025 (week of):  Midpoint check-in (online)

• August 18, 2025 (week of):  Presentations and peer feedback (online)

Requirements

Awardees will be required to:

• Attend both online training sessions May 20 and May 27, complete asynchronous assignments and a mid-point check-in the week of July 7, and present their finished course online the week of August 18.
• Redesign the selected course so that all required textbooks and other supplementary instructional materials do not exceed $40.
• Provide a copy of the revised syllabus or course outline used for the class and make available to other department faculty teaching the same course.
• Write a brief process/reflection report.
• Complete annual surveys on the redesigned course with respect to cost savings and student satisfaction.

How to Apply

Applications will be reviewed by the chairs of the Affordable Course Materials Committee and participants will be selected based on the following criteria:

• Financial impact on students: courses with higher enrollments, undergraduate, and general education courses will be prioritized
• Feasibility of course redesign within the specified time frame
• Commitment to participate in all sessions, submit a satisfactory mid-project report, take part in the presentation and peer review session, and report on outcomes of implementation on student impact and satisfaction
• Applications are due by May 2
• Click here to apply

Note: One proposal per faculty member. Team teaching assignments will be considered. 

Please email Robin Harris (r-harris14@neiu.edu) or Liz Rodriguez (emrodri1@neiu.edu) with any questions.