Shepherd University receives grant from West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission to provide free course materials

Shepherd University has received a $25,000 Open Educational Resources (OER) Challenge Grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. The grant will support an increase in courses that do not require students to purchase textbooks or other course materials, which will lead to a more affordable education and the removal of one financial barrier that may stand in someone’s way as they pursue their degree.

An article on Shepherd University’s website describes the effort the university will undertake to develop a “z-degree,” which is a pathway of courses students can take with zero textbook costs, as the course’s materials will all be provided as Open Educational Resources. These z-degree pathways will lead students through an entire degree program that will not include any textbook costs.

The university currently has seven courses in the College of Business, Recreation, and Education that offer sections that utilize Open Educational Resources. With this grant funding, the university will begin to offer even more of these types of courses. This spring, there will be three Business Administration courses offering OER for the first time, with five more such courses in development.

The Open Education Resources project funded by this grant will be co-led by Dr. James Dovel, who serves as an associate professor of business administration and the chair of the Department of Business, Accounting, Economics, and Finance, and by Robert Szarka, who is an assistant professor of business administration. Other involved faculty members include Dr. Joshua Beck, Dr. Amanda Mandzik, Dr. Zahra Pourabedin, and Dr. Jimmie West, as well as instructional designer Yildiz Nuredinoski and IT consultant Richard Lanham.

These faculty members will collaborate with each other, and with Shepherd University students, to develop and adapt course content into OER, with the intention of creating tools and guidance that will allow other West Virginia institutions to adapt the practice of OER, making education more affordable for students around the state.

For more information about Shepherd University, visit the school’s website.