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Textbook Affordability Mini-Grants (TAM)

An opportunity for faculty to apply for funding for OER adoption, adaptation, or creation.

In This Guide

Overview

UAA Textbook Affordability, in collaboration with UAA Faculty Senate's Library Advisory Committee and the UAA/APU Consortium Library, announces a new initiative, the Textbook Affordability (and Open Education) Mini-Grants (TAM) program.

The program aligns with UAA's Mission and Aspirations, namely putting students first; creating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion; and positively impacting our communities, Alaska, and the world. With this in mind, the primary goals of TAM are to:

  • Encourage faculty to move more UAA and APU courses away from commercial materials in favor of quality OER and other no-cost course materials,
  • Improve the quality of ZTC (zero textbook cost) courses, and
  • Encourage the sharing of faculty OER-related work beyond our institutions.

All full and part-time faculty at all UAA and APU campuses are eligible for consideration. You may submit multiple proposals. However, no more than one proposal per person will be funded. Previously completed projects are not eligible for funding.

To ensure full consideration, submit proposals by October 15. Submission forms are linked in each category description below. Due to limited funding, a limited number of projects will be funded and we anticipate a competitive process. We recommend reviewing the Rubric that will be used to evaluate proposals prior to applying.

Contact D'Arcy Hutchings with any questions or concerns (see the Contact Me box on this page for email address). Faculty are also invited to schedule a meeting (using the Schedule Appointment button in the Contact Me box) to discuss project ideas or ask questions before applying.

Category 1: Creation

Submit your Creation proposal here.
Maximum funding: $10,000.
Brief Summary of Requirements:

  • Create an openly licensed / OER textbook or other required course materials with at least 75% original content by August 2026.
  • Share what you create.
  • Teach using the created material(s) for at least 2 semesters.
  • Assess the OER and its impact.

Review the Full Requirements for this category before submitting your proposal.

Category 2: Adaptation (& Ancillaries)

Submit your Adaptation proposal here.
Maximum funding: $5,000.
Brief Summary of Requirements:

  • Adapt, update, combine, and/or expand upon (including creating ancillary materials often provided by commercial publishers, like quizzes, lecture slides, simulations, etc.) existing materials to create a new openly licensed / OER textbook or other course materials. Complete the project by August 2025.
  • Share what you create.
  • Teach using the created materials for at least 2 semesters.
  • Assess the OER and its impact.

Review the Full Requirements for this category before submitting your proposal.

Category 3: Adoption

Submit your Adoption proposal here.
Maximum funding: $1,500.
Brief Summary of Requirements:

  • Adopt an existing openly licensed (OER) textbook or other no-cost, required course materials.
  • Teach using the newly adopted materials for at least 2 semesters.
  • Assess the impact of the adoption.

Review the Full Requirements for this category before submitting your proposal.

Category 4: Other

Submit your Other proposal here.
Maximum funding: Varies based on the complexity and impact of the proposed project.

If your project does not fit into a category above but aligns with the spirit and purpose of this mini-grant program, feel free to submit a proposal. The review committee is open to considering your idea!

Review the Full Requirements for this category before submitting your proposal.

About the Program

The Textbook Affordability Mini-Grant program was created by D'Arcy Hutchings, UAA Textbook Affordability lead. Awardees are selected in collaboration with the Library Advisory Committee (a UAA Faculty Senate and APU faculty committee). Mini-grants are funded by the UAA/APU Consortium Library using OER-earmarked funds that previously went to the Consortium Library Affordable Course Materials Awards.

Contact Me

Profile Photo
D'Arcy Hutchings
Contact:
Instructional Design & Open Education Librarian,
Associate Professor
dlhutchings@alaska.edu
907.786.1982

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Portions are modified from Abbey K. Elder’s Miller Open Education Mini-Grants program materials (available at OER & Beyond) which are licensed CC-BY (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International).  Note that linked content is covered by its own licenses.

We encourage you to license your derivative works under Creative Commons as well to encourage sharing and reuse of educational materials.