Apply Now for a 2107 Affordable Course Materials Grant
The cost of textbooks and course materials is a well-known issue both here at Boston College and throughout higher education. Research suggests that about one-third of high financial need students at Boston College don’t buy any course materials and the cost, which can be over $1,000 per semester, can be a strain for other students as well. For the third year in a row, the Boston College Libraries and the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), with the support of the Provost, will be offering small grants to support full-time faculty who wish to use affordable course materials in their curriculum in an effort to address these issues. These new curriculum resources may be any combination of newly-created materials, publicly accessible resources, and items to which Boston College Libraries subscribe. Recipients of these competitive grants will receive $2,000 and the assistance of a team of library and CTE staff who can help them to prepare their new curriculum.
If this sounds like an interesting opportunity, please register to attend one of the Affordable Course Materials Initiative information sessions to be held on March 14 from 10-11 am (Please Register) and March 15 from 2-3 pm (Please Register). At these sessions, you will hear from librarians and CTE consultants who will be available to discuss:
- an overview of the initiative and support available for faculty
- locating open educational resources
- copyright and licensing issues
- accessibility concerns
- creating a sustainable curriculum
- managing resources in Canvas
- assistance with creation of new content
When you are ready to prepare your grant proposal, please refer to our guide to the Grant Process for the complete details and a link to the application form. The deadline for submission of grant proposals is April 12, 2017 and awards will be made in early May. Please note that preference will be given to faculty to who plan to implement the new curriculum no later than Spring 2018. If you have any further questions, please contact your subject liaison for more information.
