Open Educational Resources Awards

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The Open Educational Resources Awards are sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA), the Texas A&M University Libraries, and the Administration of Texas A&M University. The goal of these awards is to recognize faculty members who go above and beyond in adopting and demonstrating exemplary usage of Open Educational Resources (OERs) in their classrooms or taking active roles in the creation or dissemination of these open access resources. These awards seek to recognize faculty who promote or contribute to a culture of utilizing free academic resources and knowledge sharing in order to lessen the financial burden on students, and mitigate the overall cost of receiving an education. These awards are administered by the Academic Affairs Committee in the Executive Branch of SGA, as it is a top priority for them to reward the successful use of OERs in the most meaningful way possible. 

In addition to recognizing faculty members’ outstanding achievement in utilizing and championing Open Educational Resources, the winners will each receive $250 in award money, graciously sponsored by the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President and TAMU Libraries.


What is an Open Educational Resource (OER)?

Open Educational Resources are defined as teaching, learning, and research resources that are free of cost and access barriers. These resources carry legal permissions for open use. Generally, this permission is granted by use of an open license (for example, a Creative Commons license), which allows anyone to freely use, adapt, and share the resource. More information on OERs.

Disclaimer: Resources that are accessible to Texas A&M students through licenses negotiated by the Texas A&M University Libraries are not considered Open Educational Resources.


The Awards

SGA Open Educational Resources Award

Awarded to faculty members who demonstrate exemplary usage of open access resources in their own classrooms. Examples of such use include but are not limited to: utilizing free textbooks, providing free electronic notes or textbook alternatives, using/incorporating free educational resources in courses, etc. Each winner will receive a plaque of recognition.
Maximum number of winners per year: 4 faculty members, with awards limited to one per level of faculty rank (broadly defined as assistant/lecturer, associate, and full).
Who can nominate: Only currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students are eligible to nominate faculty members for this award. 

Nomination Form: Student Form

SGA Open Educational Resources Champion Award

Awarded to a faculty member who demonstrates the most compelling and significant positive impact in areas related to open educational resources. Examples include but are not limited to: (1) Public sharing of research, works, projects, course notes, or other educational resources; (2) championing the goal of making use of free educational resources within and beyond the faculty member’s own classroom. The winner will receive a plaque of recognition.
Maximum number of winners per year: 1
Who can nominate: Texas A&M faculty members are eligible to submit nominations. Self-nominations are encouraged.

Nomination Forms: Faculty Form


Evaluation Criteria

Each nominee will be considered based on the following:

  • Quantity of contributions
  • Quality and depth of contributions
  • Effect of outreach
  • Actual/potential impact

For questions or request for more information, please contact the SGA Executive Academic Affairs Committee or Kalie Popelka