OER Champion Award: Prizes increased; student category added

The annual Open Educational Resources (OER) Champion Award nomination process is now open, with the Office of Academic Affairs and the Open CU Initiative Committee accepting submissions via this online form.

The award celebrates four educators or educator teams – one from each CU campus – and one student champion whose open course materials, open pedagogy and professional, research, and/or advocacy practices have had an impact on the student experience and influenced peers to share more openly.

Increased from last year, a one-time cash award of $1,200 will be added to each award recipient’s salary or split among a team’s monthly salaries. 

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. Open pedagogy involves students in the creation of knowledge, rather than just consuming it, and encouraging students to demonstrate their understanding through creation.

All members of the University of Colorado educational community are eligible for the award. Nominations will be reviewed by members of the Open CU Initiative Committee. Selections will be based on criteria such as educational impact and innovation toward a culture of open knowledge sharing and access, including but not limited to the use of AI for OER creation, equity through OER, and open pedagogy. 

Nominations will be accepted via this online form. Awardees, one from each campus, will be notified by Jan. 31, 2025. Awardees who can attend will be honored by President Todd Saliman and members of the CU OER community at an in-person awards event in March.