UTSA DOERS Findings Mapped to OER Task Force Goals

Prioritize High-Impact and Core Curriculum Courses for OER Adoption  

• Identify Target Courses – Analyze enrollment, textbook cost, DFW rates, and alignment to strategic goals to rank courses for conversion
• Faculty Outreach & Support – Recruit instructors or course coordinators of ranked courses; Promote and provide workshops, tools such as H5P, financial incentives, and a community of practice.

Address the Cost and Time Requirements of OER Development

• Update Resource Toolkit – Publish step-by-step adoption guides, licensing checklists, and adaptable templates.
• Leverage AI for OER Development and Ancillaries - Investigate and pilot AI-driven tools or platforms for generating supplemental OER materials (e.g., test banks, quizzes, interactive simulations) to complement existing open textbooks.
• Staffing Plan – Assess gaps in librarian, instructional-designer, and tech-support capacity; request reallocations or new hires as needed.

Pilot Processes Using AI to Create OER

• Technology Scan & Selection – Compare AI platforms for functionality, licensing terms, accessibility, and data-privacy compliance; plan LMS integration.
• IP & Attribution Guidelines – Define copyright, fair-use, and attribution rules for content generated by faculty, students, and AI.
• Open Pedagogy Resources – Develop guides and exemplars that show how to blend AI, OER, and student-created content within an open-pedagogy framework.
• Pilot Projects – Launch small-scale pilots in 3–4 courses to test AI-assisted OER creation and measure impact on workload and student performance.
• Development Workflow – Document a step-by-step process (draft → AI-assist → peer review → publish) to ensure quality control.
• Faculty Training – Offer workshops and micro-credentials on responsible AI use, prompt engineering, and quality assurance.
• Budget & Licensing – Estimate software or cloud-credit costs.

• Put together a plan and cost estimate, then submit to VPAA for review and approval before any implementation begins.
• If approved,
  • Curriculum Design – Create a 6- to 8-session sequence covering open licensing, content sourcing, AI-assisted adaptation, inclusive course redesign, and impact assessment.
  • Funding Plan – Secure stipends (e.g., $750 per participant), honoraria for guest speakers, and workshop materials.
  • Recruitment Strategy – Market via department chairs, Faculty Senate, new-faculty orientation, and grad-student listservs; target 20 participants in the pilot cohort.
  • Program Delivery – Run monthly sessions (Nov 2025–Apr 2026) plus an intensive two-day summer institute for capstone presentations.
  • Assessment & Iteration – Collect participant feedback, track implementation rates, and refine curriculum annually.

Centralize and Simplify OER/Low-Cost Reporting and Increase OER Visibility for Students

• Add two cost attributes (“NCTB” = No-Cost Textbook/OER; “LCTB” = Low-Cost ≤ $40) to CLSS/Course Leaf and downstream systems.
• OER Guidelines - Publish a clear, concise guide that defines eligibility and what qualifies as a No- Cost or Low-Cost textbook.
• Train department schedulers via Registrar’s Teams channel and a short video tutorial; include the process in new-faculty orientation.
• Faculty Communication – Send reminders each term—at schedule-build start and two weeks before registration—to prompt faculty to mark courses.
• Display cost flags in the online schedule search and on Canvas Follett Discover landing page.
• System Update – Add NCTB/LCTB filters and icons to the registration portal and mobile app.
• Search Boost – Surface NCTB/LCTB courses at the top of search results.
• Student Messaging – Explain the icons in the catalog, advising scripts, orientation slides, and a brief Canvas/ASAP pop-up during registration.
• Quality Control – Registrar runs a pre-registration audit each term to verify labels.