TMU Libraries and Ted Rogers School Of Management (TRSM) are pleased to announce a joint 2025 OER Partnership Grant to encourage the creation and adoption of open educational resources (OER) with a focus on business titles. OER are learning materials that are openly licensed such that they are freely available to be adapted, copied, and shared. OER can be: courses, modules, textbooks, multimedia, assessments, and supplementary materials.
This grant advances the University’s priorities to foster an innovation ecosystem and ensure excellence in student learning experiences, and builds on TMU Libraries digital initiatives, expertise in Open Access and Open Education Resource publishing and dissemination, and academic priorities of access and openness. The Library is very pleased to collaborate with the Ted Rogers School of Management to fund a grant that creates an open educational textbook and accompanying ancillary teaching materials to support a high enrolment 100 or 200 level TRSM course.
Ted Rogers School of Management and the Library will be involved in the review and adjudication of the grants. The Library will manage and support successful projects. A single $40,000 two-part grant running over two years will be available to the successful proposal.
Stage One – Creation or Adaptation of an OER Textbook
This grant is for creation or adaptation of an Open Educational textbook in the Library Pressbooks instance and its subsequent pilot use in a classroom, for a high enrolment 100 or 200 level Ted Rogers School of Management course. Grant amounts will be dependent on an analysis of the amount of creation or adaptation needed to create the textbook but is envisioned as being $20,000 dollars. For examples of the Library Pressbooks OER textbooks, see the list of books on the Library’s publishing site.
Stage Two – Ancillary Resource Creation (Slides, Testbanks, Videos)
This grant is to be used to create high quality digital ancillary material that can accompany the OER textbook created in Stage One of the project. Resources that can be supported by the grant include instructor slides, test-banks, quizzes and videos for example. Creation is envisioned as happening over a maximum period of two summers (2026 and 2027). The grant amount is envisioned as being $20,000.
Objectives of the OER Grant Program
- To support faculty members in the review, revision and adoption of open textbooks and other OER materials
- To create good quality ancillary materials to support the textbook that has been funded.
- To increase the use of open educational content, textbooks and OER at the University resulting in pedagogical innovation, enhanced access for students, and reduced textbook and class material costs.
Eligibility
All TRSM TFA and CUPE Faculty members,
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Curation and customization of OER that will be freely and openly shared using the Pressbooks publishing platform for textbook creation, and other mediums for ancillary materials that can be made available in an openly licensed format
- Impact on student experience, including high-quality materials, maximum access, open and innovative pedagogy, and cost savings to students
- Active engagement of students with Ted Rogers School Of Management Faculty in the adaptation/adoption of OER
- Improve discipline/subject OER coverage in higher education Canadian Business resources
- Complete and viable budget and project outcomes, consistent with project objectives and appropriate administrative approval from your Chair or supervisor as necessary
- Foster commitment to building equity, community and inclusion, advance the TRC Calls to Action, and alignment with TMU’s Academic Plan and priorities
Guidelines for Applicants
- Complete the Application Form by 4:00 pm on September 30th, 2025. Proposals must be submitted via this link prior to the deadline.
- Selection Process: Proposals will be evaluated according to an established assessment rubric based on the criteria noted above. A University Library OER Grant Review Committee with representation from the Library (chair), the Centre for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, and the Ted Rogers School Of Management will consider all applications.
- Funds will be available once a detailed budget is approved by TMU Libraries OER Grant Review Committee.
- Funds may be used to pay students, faculty writers, editors; graphic designers; videographers, ancillary resource creators, with preference given to projects that at least in part employ TMU students. Funds cannot be used to purchase equipment or used for travel costs.
- This is not an equipment fund, however, if the substance of the project requires equipment, that component may be considered if it is demonstrated that such equipment is unavailable on campus and is instrumental to the project on a case-by-case approved basis.
- Faculty teaching release is not funded by this grant.
- Funds for Stage One will be made available no later than Nov.1st, 2025 after recipients attend an introductory on-boarding session. The maximum period that Stage One funds must be expended is no later than Oct 31st, 2026, and the maximum period Stage Two funds must be expended is no later than Oct 31st, 2027. Funds will be managed through the Library.
- Brief final reports at project completion and/or close of the granting period are required, including an outline of fund expenditures. Any unspent funds will be returned to the Library.
Reporting and Deliverables
For Stage One – Creation or Adaptation OER Textbook Grant:
A mid-term report is due May 1, 2026, and links to materials created must be submitted to the Library OER Grant Committee no later than Oct 31, 2026. A presentation may be requested to be made during Open Education Week (March 2026 or 2027) about the project’s progress.
For Stage Two – OER Ancillary Materials:
A final two-page report about the whole project and links to materials created must be submitted to the Library OER Grant Committee no later than Oct 31st, 2027. Upon completion of the project, a short presentation may be required to be during Open Education Week (March 2028).
Acknowledgment and Licensing
Grant recipients are required to credit the University Library and Ted Rogers School Of Management OER Partnership Grant in any publications, conference proceedings, or media appearances resulting from the funded project.
All materials created for the Stage One and Stage Two OER grants will be licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY license, or a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license and indicate that they were funded by the University Library and Ted Rogers School Of Management OER Partnership Grant.
Assessment
Groups will be interviewed at the end of the project for feedback and a follow-up interview will be done after in-classroom pilots.
Application Process
To apply for a grant, please submit a completed Application Form by September 30th, 2025. If you have questions about the adaptation of business resources, please feel free to contact your TRSM Subject Librarian.
For questions about the grant process, Pressbooks, and Creative Commons licenses please contact Ann Ludbrook aludbrook@torontomu.ca