UNM and Open Educational Resources
UNM’s Open Educational Resource (OER) initiative seeks to provide faculty members with the support they need to adopt low and no-cost textbook and class material solutions for their courses when it aligns with their instructional objectives and academic freedom. We work closely with Central New Mexico Community College and Santa Fe Community College in building the NMOER Consortium thanks to funding from U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education Open Textbooks Pilot Program Grant.
Department of Education Grant Awarded to UNM
The University of New Mexico (UNM) has been selected as one of the recipients of the federal Open Textbook Grant for nearly $2.125 million dollars, recognizing its commitment to advancing education through Open Educational Resources (OER). With this grant funding, UNM will create the New Mexico Open Educational Resources (NMOER) Consortium to help faculty across the state to adopt open access materials.
About the grant, New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, who has helped to secure funding to support this federal program through his role on the Senate Appropriations Committee, said, “I am pleased to now welcome this major investment to help UNM provide more cost-effective course materials to more students.”
The NMOER Consortium will allocate funding and resources to faculty at the University of New Mexico, Central New Mexico Community College (CNM), and Santa Fe Community College (SFCC). Read more in UNM's Newsroom.
New Mexico OER Consortium Book Platform
In the summer of 2024, the New Mexico OER (NMOER) Consortium published its web presence using the platform Pressbooks. The NM OER Consortium website currently has a Faculty OER Guide to help with the creation of OER and five books for various classes provided at UNM and CNMCC.
Open Textbook Pilot Program
The library completed the second annual Open Textbook Pilot Program in the fall of 2024. This university-sponsored program was highlighted in the UNM Newsroom. Through this program, Proposals are eligible from UNM employees who hold the rank of Part-Time Faculty, Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Associate Processor, or Professor.Proposals from graduate students or graduate assistants are also eligible.
You can find more about the Open Textbook Pilot Program on the OER Grant Program Libguide. There you will find:
- Details on the submission process
- Links to register for informational sessions
- The form to apply for the program
You can also learn more about OER at UNM by making an appointment with the OER Librarian, Jennifer Jordan.
The 2024 Open Textbook Pilot Program is happy to announce that we were able to fund all 11 proposals that were accepted in October 2024.
- History of Art I (ARTH 2110) by Justine Andrews
- Foundations in Chemistry (CHEM 1106) by Jillian Stafford
- World Literature I (ENGL 2650) by Nahir I. Otaño Gracia
- International Management (MGMT 328) by Douglas E. Thomas
- Design of Online Learning (OILS 532/533) by Stephanie Spong and Stephanie Moore
- Structural Change, Power, and Equity in Public Health (PH 560) by Laura Nellums and Lauri Andress
- Spanish for Heritage Learners I and II (SPAN 1210/1220) by Damián Vergara Wilson
- Spanish IV (SPAN 2120) by Ana Gabriela Hernández González
- Intermediate Medical Spanish (SPAN 2420) by Eva Rodríguez-González and Sarah Peceny
- History of Fashion and Costume (THEA 334) by Sara Curran Ice
- Women, Medicine, and Health (WGSS 379) by Justina Trott and Arianna Trott
Open Education Week 2025
An annual celebration, Open Education Week (OE Week) is an opportunity for actively sharing and learning about the latest achievements in Open Education worldwide.
Saving Students Money
The estimated amount of money students spend on textbooks and supplies in the United States is over 14 billion dollars annually, and Bureau of Labor Statistics data indicates that these costs have risen by 4 times the rate of inflation over the last decade. Populations of students who cannot afford to buy or rent textbooks choose not to buy them at all, negatively impacting their education.
The following video explains the equitable and enduring effects of Open Educational Resources.
Legislative initiatives in many other states have shown significant return on investment in both dollar terms and student achievement.
For faculty ready to begin exploring, this linked OER Library Guide is a good starting point. From there, you can contact CULLS' OER Librarian for more details.
OER Initiative Highlighted on University Showcase
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
University Showcase hosted by KUNM News Director Megan Kamerick recently featured OER Librarian Jennifer Jordan to discuss OER how open educational resources can benefit students by slashing the costs of textbooks. Click the image above to listen to the archived broadcast. That also features UNM professors and OER Champions Therese Baca-Radler, Dave Dixon, Cash Clifton, and Zachary Sharp.
Explore OER Developments
Interested in keeping up with the latest developments in OER at UNM? Click the button at the bottom of this page to join the OER Initiative's mailing list. We will send information about upcoming OER-related opportunities, workshops, and events.
