Champions of open educational resources eligible for new award

Do you have a teacher or colleague who has creatively implemented or adapted open educational resources in their class? Do you have a teacher or colleague who has authored and shared high quality open educational resources?

If so, consider nominating them for CU-wide recognition.

The Office of Academic Affairs and the Open CU Steering Team are accepting nominations for the inaugural Open Educational Resources (OER) Champion Award, sponsored by the Office of Digital Education and Engagement.

The award celebrates four University of Colorado educators, one from each campus, 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 prize includes a one-time cash award of $500. 

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 repurposing 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 CU 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. 5. Awardees, one from each campus, will be notified by Feb. 15 and presented with their award, a digital badge, and a $500 honorarium. Awardees who can attend will be honored at an OER award luncheon the first week in March.