The Integrating OER (Open Educational Resource) Program leads the Ontario postsecondary sector in the discovery, engagement, use, and continuous improvement of the Open Library Collection in eCampusOntario’s Open Library. Funded by the historic investment by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU), the Open Library Collection makes a wide variety of OER available to eligible Ontario educators and learners.
Integrating
OER Program
Advancing Ontario's Open journey
What is the program?
The Integrating OER Program has three (3) streams of activity for eligible Ontario educators to integrate OER into their teaching, allowing them to easily improve the quality of their courses.
OER Adoption
Participate to receive support on evaluating, curating, and adapting OER for your teaching. Remuneration of $300 per adopted OER (max 5) in unique courses during Summer 2023, Fall 2023, and Winter 2024.
OER Peer Review
Participate to contribute to the continuous improvement of OER as a subject matter expert providing constructive feedback based on a set rubric. Remuneration of $300 per reviewed (max 3).
OER Project Editor
For Open Library project teams to participate to make edits based on the peer reviews. Remuneration of $1000 per project team.
Upon completion, eCampusOntario will remunerate OER Adopters, OER Peer Reviewers, and OER Project Editor teams in recognition of the team’s additional working time spent on improving the quality of the OER.
Supporting Resources
Finding OER
Webinar Recordings
Contact
If you have any questions about this program, please contact the Open Library team at open@ecampusontario.ca, Ridhima Bhatia at rbhatia@ecampusontario.ca or schedule a meeting here.
Get Involved: Program Timelines for Summer
Check the program deadlines below.
OER Peer Review
August 18, 2023 – Deadline to apply to become Peer Reviewer
September 4, 2023 – Deadline to complete and submit your peer review
OER Adoption
August 18, 2023 – Deadline to apply to become Adopter
September 4, 2023 – Deadline to complete and submit your Summer adoption reports
Once your application has been reviewed and approved, you will receive an email
confirming your acceptance to participate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who receives the stipend: the individual participant, or the institution?
eCampusOntario will disburse the stipend directly to the individual Participant who successfully enrolled and completed the process as per the requirements set out in the Participant Guide.
Can I get access to the additional tools required to complete the program activities, such as an XR headset?
The Integrating OER program is not set up to accommodate the additional tools to review or adopt the resources. However, many institutional libraries have access to additional tools. You may also choose a different resource from our Open Library.
If I complete both Fall and Winter adoption reports, do I earn $600 or only $300? Is completing a report for only one or both terms an option?
The intention of the program is 1 disbursement per person per unique adoption. For example, Jenna McKay makes a single OER adoption in Fall 2023 in a unique course and receives $300.
If you use one unique resource in Fall term in a unique course and then another unique resource in the Winter term in a unique course, then you are eligible for $600. For example, Jenna McKay makes a single OER adoption in Fall and receives $300. Jenna McKay then makes a single adoption of a different OER in the Winter in different course and receives $300 for the winter term. In this case, Jenna made 1 unique adoption in Fall ($300) in unique course and 1 unique adoption in Winter ($300) in another unique course for a total of $600.
Please Note: There is no additional payment for reporting the same OER in Summer, Fall and then again in Winter in the same course. So eligible adoptions are unique OER adopted in unique course in Summer 2023, Fall 2023 or Winter 2024.
After peer reviewing an OER, can I adopt this same OER? Would I be eligible for reimbursement of $600? ($300 for the peer review, and $300 for the OER adoption.)
Yes, you can participate as peer reviewer and adopter for the same OER and get reimbursement of $600.
After peer reviewing an OER, can I adopt a different OER for the adoption process? Would I be eligible for reimbursement of $600? ($300 for the peer review, and $300 for the OER adoption.)
Yes, you can participate as peer reviewer and adopter for different OER and get reimbursement of $600.
Can I still enroll in this program even if my institution is involved in a project funded by the Second Round of funding from VLS? Would it be a conflict of interest?
The Integrating OER Program is focusing on supporting the entire Open Library Collection and is inviting individual faculty to apply to become involved. We will not be reviewing or rejecting faculty who participate in multiple programs.
I am an instructional designer working for an Ontario institution. Can I adopt an OER from the Open Library Collection for the Fall or Winter term and submit the adoption report?
Yes, Adopters will select and review the OER from the Open Library collection and fill out the adoption report. If you are working closely with faculty then you can fill in the adoption report. Please review the adoption report field to ensure you have access to all required information: https://openlibrary.ecampusontario.ca/share-an-adoption/