Stipend Opportunity
Raynor Library and campus partners are piloting a stipend program to advance awareness and use of free, open-licensed learning materials, also known as open educational resources (OER). Participating faculty who are interested in lowering the textbook cost burdens of their students, especially instructors in high-DFW courses, are encouraged to apply.
High textbook costs cause financial stress for students that can weaken their academic performance and push them to forgo buying course materials altogether. Commercial textbook publishers, unresponsive to this challenge, tend to withhold their textbooks from libraries. While OER options exist already for course materials in many subjects, faculty awareness of them is low. This new program will reward efforts to explore OER options with stipends of $850-$1000.
Who can apply?
Preference will be given to participating faculty, instructors in high DFW courses, those using traditional, costly textbooks, or teaching large, lecture hall courses.
Stipend Timeline
December 5, 2025: Interest form due
Mid December: Acceptance notifications sent out
January – March 2026: Training and individual textbook or resource reviews
April – May: Stipend recipients complete project with a short report
This pilot grant program is made possible with funding from Marquette's Explorer Challenge 2.0.