OER - Open Educational Resources: PCC OER Grants

Adopt ($1000 per person): Adopt an existing OER with little revision to the content. 

Adapt/Revise/Remix ($2000 per person): Adapt content in one of the following ways: 

• Adapt existing OER, with major revisions.
• Use multiple existing OER to create course content.
• Use a mixture of existing OER and original content.
• Develop supplemental materials (e.g., test bank, lab manual) for an OER already in use.

Maintain/update ($1200 per person): Update OER currently in use; includes editing for currency and relevance, creating interactive content, print-ready compilations of course materials, or ancillary materials.

Other (award levels vary): Some limited grants may be awarded for OER-related activities not described by other categories.

Thought partner/support ($400 per person): Applicants are encouraged to name specific people upon whom they plan to rely for significant support.  These support people may offer subject area support, OER/Open education expertise, or some other specified expertise.

For Adopt, Adapt, and Maintain grants, Portland Community College faculty and academic professionals are eligible to apply.  All PCC employees and students are eligible to be co-applicants and thought partners.  For projects in the “Other” category, applicants must be PCC employees or students.  Grant funds are for the implementation, development, and distribution of Open Educational Resources (OER) with appropriate Creative Commons licensing or projects that support these activities.

Projects designed to address affordability concerns with the use of non-CC licenced materials (eg. library-licensed materials, free to use but “all rights reserved” online materials, or works that you have permission to use) are not eligible for OER grant funding but the Open Educational Resources Steering Committee (OERSC) is happy to offer logistical and technical support.  OERSC recognizes that some projects include a mixture of materials and encourages you to schedule a consultation with the OER coordinator to discuss your project before applying if you have questions.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, with decisions typically announced 3-4 weeks after review begins. The application process is not competitive; all applications meeting the grant criteria will be awarded as funds are available. Applicants are welcome to revise their proposals based on feedback and resubmit. Projects must be completed befoe the end of the 2025-26 fiscal year. Projects already funded by other funding sources are eligible only to the extent that the work funded by PCC is new, additional work for the same project.

Grant funding cannot be used to purchase software, technology, equipment, etc. If you have needs related to OER that do not qualify for faculty grants, please contact oer@pcc.edu to discuss.

These awards are funded by the OER Steering Committee and managed by the Library.

Ownership of intellectual property is governed by the faculty contract. All projects must be licenced with an open license (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license is preferred) and made freely available via the internet.  In the case of projects where PCC is the copyright holder, grantees must fill out the Creative Commons request form when appropriate.

Projects should be based on the grantee's own work, existing Creative Commons licensed works that allow derivatives, or public domain works. Projects should generally avoid incorporating works with non-transferable permissions, third-party licensed materials, or materials without appropriate licensing or fair use analysis.  When incorporating these materials, consult with the OER Coordinator.

Check out the wide variety of OER projects from the 2024-25 PCC OER grant cycle. You can also explore completed and shared PCC grant-funded OER. 

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Project Feasibility
   • Clear, realistic project plan 
   • Support from department/SAC for project
   • Appropriate scope for the funding amount
   • Faculty capacity to complete the project
2. Sustainability and Assessment
   • Plan for ongoing maintenance and updates
   • Potential for adoption by other faculty/departments
   • Anticipated ongoing course offerings for sections using material
   • Long-term viability of the resource
   • A plan for gathering feedback from students and colleagues (as appropriate) about materials
   • A plan to evaluate the effectiveness of materials
3. Accessibility
   • Materials to be adopted/adapted must conform to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1AA or be made to as part of the grant work.
   • Universal design principles
   • Usability across different devices and platforms
4. Open Licensing
   • Appropriate Creative Commons licensing
   • Clear plan for sharing and distribution
   • Proper attribution of existing open resources

Applications will be reviewed by a committee of Portland Community College faculty, staff, and students with representation from the Library, the Teaching and Learning Center, Accessible Education and Disability Resources and other relevant departments.

Apply for a PCC OER Grant

We will provide guidance and referrals in areas including:

• Project design and development
• Finding existing openly licensed resources
• Accessibility consultation and guidance
• Creative Commons licensing and attribution
• Copyright guidance
• Support and resources around open pedagogy and culturally responsive teaching materials
• Suggestions for publicly sharing materials

Grant funds will be paid when the grantee has:

• Submitted a description (for public release), brief biography, current syllabus and summary of expected needs
• Consulted with the OER Coordinator, OERSC representative, or faculty mentor to discuss needs, timelines, costs, etc.
• Consulted with AEDR to develop plan for accessibility, all materials must conform with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA

• The project plan has been implemented
• The output is openly licensed
• The output is publicly shared, as appropriate, including to Open Oregon
• A project evaluation form has been completed
• The grantee has committed to implement the OER in their course 
• The grantee has agreed to assess the impact of their open educational resource and share those results with OERSC.

Post-Grant Requirements

After final payment, grantees are required to:

• Implement their OER content 
• Report their classes to OERSC and assess the impact of their open educational resource
• Share their materials with Open Oregon, as appropriate