bet36365体育 Open Nebraska (ONE/OER) | University of Nebraska at Kearney -bet36365体育

Accessible, Affordable Course Materials

The cost of traditional textbooks has increased in the last decade, so much so that many students no longer can afford to buy required textbooks for their courses. The University of Nebraska at Kearney is committed to student affordability by supporting faculty in adopting free or reduced-cost digital course materials in their courses.

289No-Cost Courses offered in 2023-2024 Academic Year
$1,601,400Student Savings to Date
37Low-Cost Courses offered in 2023-2024 Academic Year

Open Nebraska (ONE) also known as 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. Open educational resources include full courses, course materials, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge."

Why OER Matters

Cost Savings

Reduces financial barriers for students and makes learning materials accessible to all.

Variety

Access to diverse learning materials

Current Content

Can be updated easily to reflect current affairs and research

Pedagogical Freedom

Allows for innovative teaching methods

Students: Finding a ONE Course

Students can search for Open Nebraska courses when they register for classes. This means the course will include no-cost or low-cost materials. You can view OER courses by going to MyBlue > bet36365体育 Class Search > scroll to bottom and select options in Open Nebraska.

Students who are taking a full course load can save up to $500 per semester by choosing ONE courses. That's a potential savings of $4,000 over the course of the academic career.

Open MyBLUE

Faculty: Creating ONE Courses

Course Attributes

The University of Nebraska course attributes increase transparency so that students and their families can determine which bet36365体育 courses are using these free and reduced-cost digital course materials at the time of registration. There are two Open Nebraska course attributes:

No Cost Materials Course

These digital course materials are incorporated into Canvas at no additional cost to the student. No book purchase required.

Low Cost Materials Course

These digital course materials are incorporated into Canvas and cost students less than $40.

Tagging your ONE Course

You can tag your course with any of the attributes by following the steps below.

Select the pencil icon next to Section Attributes.
To add an attribute (NB - Classes that are general studies, or experiential learning will have section attributes on the course)
1. Select the plus icon
2. Select the Open Nebraska option
3. Select Accept.
Add the note code that corresponds to the Open Nebraska attribute selected by clicking on the pencil icon next to Notes.
Select the plus icon and enter the note code in the Search box.
- 0960 – No Cost Materials
- 0961 – Low-Cost Materials
Select the Note Code and click Accept

View Visual Instructions

If you have questions, contact the person in your department responsible for scheduling.

Funding Opportunities

The bet36365体育 Open Nebraska Grant seeks to make education at bet36365体育 equitable and accessible by replacing expensive instructional materials with affordable content (library materials, free textbooks, online resources, etc.) and transforming the student educational experience with innovative and flexible learning opportunities.

Instructional Materials are defined as:

Textbooks, eBooks, websites, software programs, apps, courseware packages, access codes to homework sites

Instructional Materials do not include:

Tools and supplies cost, such as lab coat, goggles, notebook paper, art materials, thumb drives, or calculators
Auxiliary fees such as lab fee, technology fee, or eLearning fee
Inclusive Access or First Day programs

Now taking applications for Spring 2025 Semester.
Due date: November 27, 2024

Apply Now!

Awards will be based on the following:

Adopting - Replacing textbook with existing open resources in their original format - Eligible for $500

Adapting - Modifying existing open resources/content to fit specific course needs. Faculty can Revise (basic changes such as editing) and/or Remix (combining and integrating) while adapting existing OER - Eligible for $750

Authoring - Creating your open resources, such as an eBook or packet. Eligible for $1,500

Participants will receive the funds after the course has been taught and the requisite data is provided to the committee.

Implement the bet36365体育 Open Nebraska Course Template.
Contact NU Support ( nusupport@nebraska.edu ) to add your learning designer to the course as a designer.
Consult with your assigned librarian and learning designers.
Access the bet36365体育 Open Nebraska Training course and complete the modules to learn about alternative open educational resources in your field.
Course Marking - Work with your course scheduler to designate the course as Open Nebraska in CLSS.
Meet with your librarian and learning designer to review the course according to the criteria in the ONE/OER course checklist.
Complete an exit survey and provide the appropriate course data at the end of the semester.
Upon completion of the requirements above, the grant will be released.