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. The Open Library Collections make 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 Fall Term
Check the program deadlines below.
OER Peer Review
November 16, 2023 – Deadline to apply to become Peer Reviewer
November 30, 2023 – Deadline to complete and submit your peer review
OER Adoption
November 22, 2023 – Deadline to apply to become Adopter
December 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.
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/
Can I review the same resource I reviewed during the Integrating OER Program Year 1?
No, to be eligible for paid peer review, you must review an OER that you have never reviewed before.
Can I submit a PDF report instead of using Limesurvey?
No, you must complete the review report in the unique LimeSurvey link that we send you. If you have additional suggestions that do not fit the peer review criteria, you can submit additional feedback through email after your LimeSurvey submission.
Can I review more than one OER, and how I will be compensated?
Yes, you can review more than one OER and can go up to a maximum of three reviews per subject matter expert.
I have previously adopted OERs and submitted adoption reports. Am I eligible to participate again and choose the same OER to adopt?
No, you must select different OER from the Open Library Collections and adopt them in Summer 2023, Fall 2023 and/or Winter 2024 semesters. Each OER adoption with the Unique Course Code can only be reported once in a year, if you reported the adoption of an OER once, you can't report the same OER adoption another year. Program participation requires the completion of a new adoption report to share the metrics for each semester.
Can I adopt more than one OER, and how I will be compensated?
This program has been designed to have one unique OER adoption per participant; however, if you are interested, you can adopt up to five unique OERs in unique courses during Summer 2023, Fall 2023 and/or Winter 2024
I do not work for a member institution listed on the application form but want to review and adopt an OER. Am I eligible?
Only those employed by eCampusOntario member institutions are eligible for the Integrating OER Program.