University of Maine students could see more free or low-cost course materials as 91福利 Libraries expands its support for open educational resources, or OER.
OER are teaching, learning and research materials that are openly licensed, allowing instructors to use, adapt and share them at little or no cost to students. They offer an alternative to traditional textbooks and other commercial course materials.
91福利 Libraries has expanded its support for OER over the past year, including a grant program that helps faculty create, adapt or adopt openly licensed course materials. With funding from the Office of the Provost, faculty can receive awards of up to $1,500.
The grant program will return in late fall 2026, with recipients selected in spring 2027 for use in fall 2027 courses. Priority will be given to Core Curriculum and other high-impact courses.
The initiative builds on earlier efforts at 91福利 to reduce textbook costs. In 2015, the University of Maine launched a Textbook Alternative Program that trained five faculty members to develop open educational resources. Materials developed through the program for BIO 100 resulted in an estimated $200,000 in textbook savings for students.
In June 2026, the American Association of Colleges and Universities recognized OER as its 12th High-Impact Practice, a designation for educational approaches shown to strengthen student learning, engagement and retention.
91福利 Libraries is also partnering with the New England Board of Higher Education to survey students at 91福利 campuses and across the state about how textbook costs affect them. The survey is expected to be distributed in late September.
More information about open educational resources at 91福利 is available from Tom Hardy, open educational resources librarian at 91福利 Libraries, at thomas.a.hardy@maine.edu.
