Skip to Main Content

Open Educational Resources (OER)

CyFair Affordable Learning Materials (CALM) Grant

All full-time and adjunct faculty members are encouraged to apply for the CyFair Affordable Learning Materials (CALM) Grant, which supports instructors who transition their course from using paid materials to openly-licensed and/or library-licensed materials for the Fall 2024 semester. This helps make course materials more affordable and accessible for students. CALM grants support the revision of syllabi, assignments, and other course materials necessary for the transition to zero textbook cost (ZTC). Courses designated as ZTC do not have course material costs, including those for supplies, equipment, and/or course fees.

Applicant Types: CALM grants are available for ZTC Course Developers, those who want to develop a ZTC course for a future semester, and ZTC Mentors, those who have already developed a ZTC course in a previous semester. Please find the scoring rubric and read about expectations/deliverables for both roles on this library guide.

Grant Awards: ZTC Course Developers will be awarded a $500 grant per course and are eligible to submit multiple applications. ZTC Mentors will be awarded a $500 grant per mentee, limit two mentees per mentor. If a prospective ZTC Mentor plans to develop a new ZTC course, they may submit the application twice under each applicant type. The application will reopen each semester as funding allows.

Summer 2024 Pilot Phase: LSC-CyFair will pilot the course development phase of this project during the Summer 2024 semester for Fall 2024 implementation.

Deadline to Apply for Pilot Phase: Friday, May 17, 2024 @ 12:00pm

Expectations & Deliverables:

  • Complete Texas OER Core Elements Course 

    • Can substitute with Texas Learn OER for completion certificates dated prior to 2024 

  • Adhere to any benchmarks/deadlines established by the Project Manager 

  • Participate in regular check-ins with Project Manager, mentor, and cohort

    • Microsoft Teams for discussion, questions, and support (asynchronous) 

    • Bi-weekly check-in with mentor (synchronous) 

    • Monthly virtual check-in with cohort via Zoom (synchronous) 

  • Submit updated syllabus 

  • Publish redesigned D2L course to repository (TBD) with permission for others to use 

    • Primary and supplemental course material aligned with SLOs 

    • Ancillary materials (presentations, assignments, assessments, etc.) adapted for new ZTC course materials 

    • Fully accessible via universal design principles (work with instructional designer) 

  • Submit Course Impact Report (provided by Project Manager during semester of implementation)

  • Serve as faculty champion for Z-Degree marketing campaign (more details TBA from College Relations)

CALM Scoring Rubric

Expectations & Deliverables:

  • Complete Texas OER Core Elements Course

    • Can substitute with Texas Learn OER for completion certificates dated prior to 2024 

  • Support mentee in adherence to any benchmarks/deadlines established by the Project Manager 

  • Participate in regular check-ins with Project Manager, mentee, and cohort

    • Microsoft Teams for discussion, questions, and support (asynchronous) 

    • Bi-weekly check-in with mentee (synchronous) 

    • Monthly virtual check-in with cohort via Zoom (synchronous) 

  • Report mentee progress (points of contact, benchmarks, etc.) to Project Manager

  • Review attributions, open licensing, and quality of mentee’s ZTC course materials

  • Ensure your ZTC course is fully accessible and shareable via D2L (same deadline as mentee)

  • Serve as faculty champion for Z-Degree marketing campaign (more details TBA from College Relations)