University of Alberta Open Education Grant

Support your course with funding and institutional expertise to adopt, adapt or create Open Educational Resources (OER). Reduce textbook costs for students while advancing accessible, inclusive teaching practices.

Apply now

Funding opportunities

Adopt: $1,000

Identify and integrate an existing open textbook or OER into your course.

Adapt: $5,000

Customize an existing open textbook or resource to align with your course needs.

Create: $7,500

Develop a new open textbook or educational resource from scratch.

Open Ask: Custom

Propose a unique project to reduce costs for students in your course.

Who can apply

Current University of Alberta employees teaching from fall 2026 to December 2027. All disciplines, course sizes and delivery formats are welcome. Collaboration with faculty and students is encouraged.

In addition to individual instructors, deans, directors and chairs are invited to consider implementing OER and open educational practices in a high-enrollment course.

OER fund principles

  • Eliminate or significantly lower course material costs for students
  • Grow adoption and adaptation of high-quality open resources
  • Support instructors in adapting resources to fit disciplinary and pedagogical needs
  • Enhance inclusivity and student engagement through open practices
  • Grow institutional collaboration and community awareness around open education
  • Create shareable approaches to teaching and learning

OER support available

The University of Alberta provides institutional support and consultation related to:

  • Open licensing and copyright guidance
  • Publishing support
  • Finding existing OER
  • Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) consultation
  • Instructional design support
  • Repository hosting and sharing

We encourage you to begin by exploring the OER resources here.

OER fund priorities

Projects will be evaluated based on:

  • Clear cost reduction: Demonstration of how your project will reduce student material costs
  • Scope: Outline a realistic and sustainable implementation plan, including budget
  • Student impact: Show potential reach and benefit to students
  • Accessibility focus: Commit to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
  • Collaboration: Involve students and colleagues in development is highly encouraged

View a sample of the grant evaluation rubric

How to apply

Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis until funding is exhausted. Applications will be reviewed by a selection of members of the Coalition for Affordable Course Materials and other relevant institutional partners.

Questions? Contact: uaopen@ualberta.ca

Apply now

Eligible expenses

  • Support for student research/teaching assistants
  • Instructional design support
  • Accessibility review
  • Graphic design, editing, proofreading, or media production
  • Peer review and content review honoraria
  • Internal service support, such as IST media production services
  • Development of ancillary materials, including:
    • Test banks
    • Simulations
    • Lab and studio manuals
    • Instructor guides
    • Multimedia content
    • Interactive learning activities
    • Using AI to assist in creating test banks, simulations, instructor guides and interactive learning activities.

Where institutional expertise and services are available internally, applicants are encouraged to utilize University of Alberta support resources.

Grant conditions

  • Awarded funds must be used within two years of adjudication.
  • OER developed or adapted through this funding must be implemented within a University of Alberta course.
  • Applicants must demonstrate how the project will reduce student costs associated with course materials.
  • Funds will be transferred to and will be administered by the lead applicant’s department or unit.
  • Applicants will provide a short final report summarizing project outcomes and implementation activities.
  • Materials should be published in editable and accessible formats.
    • If resources are shared in non-editable formats (e.g., PDF), editable source files should also be made available whenever possible.
  • Completed projects must be shared using a Creative Commons or equivalent open license that permits reuse and adaptation.
  • Where possible, created and adapted OER projects will utilize the University of Alberta’s Pressbooks program. Lead authors will sign the OER publication agreement.