Commitments

Alternative Textbook Grantees will collaborate with the Open Initiatives and Scholarly Communication unit on their projects. Expectations for each party are as follows:

Grantees:

• Create and/or implement course materials that are cost free to students by spring semester 2024.

• Attend the Alternative Textbook Grant orientation.

• If using third-party, copyrighted material, obtain the permission of the copyright owner to use the material or conduct a fair use evaluation to determine whether its use is appropriate.

• License original content created as part of an ATG with an open license (e.g., Creative Commons), excluding those with "NoDerivatives" clauses. 

• Grant the University the non-exclusive right to reproduce, translate, and/or distribute the work worldwide in electronic format. Under this license, the University may translate the submission to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation and keep more than one copy for purposes of security, back-up, and preservation.

• Consult and implement Accessibility and Disability Resources Center guidance for creating accessible documents when creating new materials.

• Submit a syllabus for the designated semester to the Open Initiatives and Scholarly Communication unit that declares that course materials are free to students. For ‘free to read’ and adoption projects, this marks the completion of the grant.

• For Remix and Creation projects, share the completed openly licensed resource with the Open Initiatives and Scholarly Communication unit by the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 2024). This marks the completion of the grant.

• Respond to periodic communications from OU Libraries regarding ongoing use of the alternative material.

Office of Open Initiatives and Scholarly Communication:

• Distribute awarded funding to grantee ($250 – $2500).

• Assist Grantee in the search for and/or adoption of open educational resources and library materials, upon request.

• Provide an Alternative Textbook Grant orientation for grantees.

• Provide copyright and licensing (e.g., Creative Commons) guidance, if requested.

• Make the work available to the public in open access repositories, including SHAREOK, and promote it via other channels.

• Provide assistance in modifying, creating, and/or implementing open educational resources, upon request and as resources allow.

• Assign a DOI for the work to enhance discoverability and citations