Open Educational Resources
Policies and commitments for OER projects. Every project supported by the University Libraries, funded or not, operates under a signed Memorandum of Understanding. The commitments below, the criteria by which applications are evaluated, and the university policy governing extra compensation are documented here for review before applying.
Extra Compensation Policy
How the university limit of one service activity at a time affects a project.
Participant Commitments
Every OER project supported by the University Libraries requires a signed Memorandum of Understanding before work begins. This applies to all six program lines, funded and supported alike. The document records the agreed scope, timeline, and deliverables, and it protects both the participant and the program should circumstances change.
Participants in the three funded lines, OER Creations, OER Remixes, and New Editions, accept the following commitments:
- Adopt the resulting resource in all of the sections of that course the participant teaches.
- Complete the project, adopt the resource, and submit the written reflection within five semesters, exclusive of summer term, with one renewal available.
- Consult regularly with the Open Education Librarian to maintain the project schedule.
- Publish the resource under an open license on a platform the university supports.
- Execute the Memorandum of Understanding before work begins.
Participants in the supported lines, Open Rebuilds and Embedded Initiatives, and in Ad Hoc Special Projects, agree to scope and deliverables recorded in a Memorandum of Understanding appropriate to the project. No application form is required for those lines.
Compensation for projects not completed within the agreed time frame will be forfeited unless alternative arrangements have been established and agreed to by both the participant and the OER team.
On the adoption requirement. Adoption is required in all of the sections of that course the participant teaches. The program does not ask participants to compel colleagues to adopt the resource, and other instructors' sections do not affect a participant's eligibility or compensation.
OER Team Commitments
Participant commitments are matched by the program's own. Across every line, the OER team assists with:
- Identifying and evaluating existing open resources before authorship begins
- Copyright questions, licensing selection, and attribution
- Reviewing materials against current accessibility standards
- Pressbooks setup, structure, and formatting
- Publication, edition labeling, DOI assignment, and indexing where appropriate
Global Campus instructional designers partner with the OER team on implementation for course focused work.
Selection Criteria
Applications for the funded lines are evaluated on overall quality, alignment with the criteria below, and the feasibility of the proposed timeline. Preference is given to proposals that:
- Serve the greatest number of students
- Focus on a university, college, or departmental core course
- Will be used in multiple sections or classes
- Replace expensive course materials
All four criteria are not required. A well constructed proposal that demonstrably serves students may succeed without satisfying every criterion. A consultation with the Open Education Librarian before applying is the most efficient way to assess a proposal's standing.
Service Activity and Extra Compensation
Work on a funded OER project is considered a service activity by the University of Arkansas. Under Fayetteville Policies and Procedures 407.0, an employee is limited to one activity not involving credit hour teaching at a time for extra compensation. Because of this policy, employees may receive extra compensation for only one service activity at a time.
If a participant begins receiving extra compensation or summer activity pay for another service activity during an OER project, the OER project must be suspended until that activity concludes. Contact the OER team at oer@uark.edu to establish a revised timeline.
Faculty currently receiving extra compensation or course release for another service activity, such as a fellowship, grant, or administrative assignment, should consult their department chair and the OER team before applying.
| Your situation | What it means for an OER project | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No other extra compensation activity | No conflict | Apply as usual |
| Another activity concludes before the OER project would begin | No conflict | Note the concluding date in the application |
| Another activity overlaps the OER project | The OER project is suspended for the duration of the overlap | Consult the department chair, then contact the OER team to establish the timeline |
Contact
Direct questions about any policy or commitment on this page to the OER team at oer@uark.edu, or request a consultation with the Open Education Librarian. Where a requirement presents a difficulty for a particular circumstance, raise it before applying. Several provisions allow more accommodation than the text suggests.