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Textbook Affordability Grant Overview

Supporting CSU faculty in adopting, adapting, and creating low-cost and no-cost textbooks and course materials.

About the grant

The Textbook Affordability Grant encourages and supports the adaptation and creation of open educational resources and no-cost course materials. Its goals are to promote textbook equity, improve academic achievement, encourage pedagogical innovation, and increase faculty flexibility in selecting course materials.

Before applying, faculty must submit an Intent to Submit form and meet with Mandi Goodsett, OER and Copyright Advisor. For current deadlines and application materials, please consult the Textbook Affordability Grants page.

$2,000 Create an original open educational resource.
$1,000 Revise, remix, or adapt existing materials.
Up to $1,000 Create or revise ancillary materials.

Project types and awards

Create an open educational resource

Create an open educational resource to replace a commercial textbook. At least 75% of the content must be original.

Goal: Replace a commercial textbook with an openly licensed and/or free alternative.

Grant amount: $2,000, with $500 paid up front and the remainder paid upon completion of the project.

Revise, remix, or adapt

Revise, remix, or adapt an existing open textbook or other open educational resource, and/or compile library-licensed or free content to replace a commercial textbook.

Applicants should ensure that sufficient material exists to replace the commercial textbook before applying. Consulting with a librarian before applying is encouraged.

Goal: Replace a traditional, high-cost textbook with an open textbook, articles, book excerpts, audio, or video that is openly licensed, library-licensed, or in the public domain.

Grant amount: $1,000, with half paid up front and the remainder paid upon completion of the project.

Create or revise ancillary materials

Create, revise, or remix ancillary materials to accompany an openly licensed or free textbook.

Ancillary materials may include test question banks, slides, class activities, study guides, and video tutorials.

Goal: Make replacing a commercial textbook with an openly licensed and/or free alternative more viable.

Grant amount: Up to $1,000, based on the Selection Committee's assessment of the work required; half is paid up front and the remainder upon completion of the project.

Grant requirements

Faculty awarded a grant agree to:

  • Complete the project within two semesters or by an alternative date approved by the grant committee.
  • Use the selected or created material for at least two semesters.
  • Submit an Intent to Submit form and meet with Mandi Goodsett, OER and Copyright Advisor, before applying for the grant.
  • Publicly share course materials developed through the grant under a Creative Commons license.
  • Use only grantee-authored, Creative Commons licensed, or public domain works in the open educational resource, if applicable.
  • Evaluate the impact on student learning at the end of the course.
  • Provide a report to the sponsors at the end of the project.
  • Share the experience with others through appropriate events or information channels, such as the Provost's Teaching Summit.

Selection criteria and eligibility

Applications are evaluated using the following criteria:

  • Total dollars saved, calculated as the cost of current course materials multiplied by enrollment.
  • An articulated plan to assess the impact and quality of student learning.
  • Feasibility for adoption in other sections.
  • Sustainability, including the likelihood that the new materials can be used over a sustained period.
  • Priority for projects that support general education courses with significant enrollment.

Eligibility

  • Projects that have already received support through a Textbook Affordability Grant are not eligible to receive another grant.
  • Visiting professors and graduate students are not eligible to receive a Textbook Affordability Grant.

Support for grantees

The Michael Schwartz Library, the Center for eLearning, the Center for Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, and the Office of Instructional Excellence collaborate to provide support to identify, adopt, or adapt openly licensed course materials and other educational resources that can replace traditional, high-cost textbooks.

This grant is offered by the Michael Schwartz Library with the generous support of the Provost's Office.