Apply now for Open Educational Resources Champion Award

The Office of Academic Affairs and the Open CU Steering Team are accepting nominations for the annual Open Educational Resources (OER) Champion Award.

The award celebrates educators – one from each of the four CU campuses – who contribute to the open educational movement, increase campus and system awareness of OER, and/or galvanize interest in exploring, adopting, and creating OER to benefit University of Colorado students.

The honor includes a one-time cash award of $500 added to the recipient’s monthly salary. 

Open Educational Resources (OER) are “teaching, learning and research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others.” (From The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.) OER include digital learning materials such as open textbooks, courses, syllabi, lectures, assignments, quizzes, lab activities, games and simulations. Preference will be given to educators who emphasize the use of open-licensed or public domain materials.

All members of the University of Colorado educational community are eligible for the award. Nominations will be reviewed by the Open CU Steering Team and the CU System Office of Academic Affairs. Selections will be based on criteria such as educational impact and innovation toward a culture of open knowledge sharing and access. 

Nominations will be accepted via this online form through Feb. 11, 2022. Awardees, one from each campus, will be notified by Feb. 25, 2022, and presented with their award, a digital badge and a $500 honorarium. Awardees who can attend will be honored at a virtual OER award event the first week in March.