A new pool of statewide funding is now open and available to all Virginia faculty who want to redesign courses to incorporate affordable and open course materials.  

The first round of VIVA Course Redesign Grants is open for applications. These grants are designed to empower Virginia faculty with the resources and time they need to redesign courses by swapping out expensive textbooks for open, no cost, or library options. These materials may be adopted as is, adapted, or created from scratch.    

This new program will award grants from $1,000-$30,000 to assist faculty members at any VIVA institution in transitioning to course materials available at no cost to students, such as open educational textbooks and/or library resources. The program is administrated by VIVA,  the Virtual Library of Virginia, a consortium of academic libraries that collaborate on public policy priorities and share costs and negotiate joint use of resources to provide strong stewardship of state dollars. VIVA is funded by the Virginia General Assembly and VIVA member institutions, and is sponsored by the State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV).    

Jimmy Ghaphery, associate university librarian for scholarly communications and publishing: “I am looking forward to seeing competitive and creative applications from VCU faculty for these funds. VCU Libraries stands ready to consult and partner on this project and other affordable course content initiatives.”

More information, including the full Request for Proposals, application details, and the evaluation rubric are available at http://vivalib.org/courseredesign.

Questions about the program may be submitted to viva@gmu.edu. VCU Libraries is eager to work with faculty in applying for grant funds and to serve as project partners. Interested faculty should contact Hillary Miller at hmiller5@vcu.edu.

Full or part-time faculty may apply. Proposals may involve one person or teams that include: teaching faculty, librarians, instructional designers, subject matter experts, editors, graphic designers, or others as needed. Applications that include multi-institutional partnerships are encouraged.

Successful applications will be selected on the basis of:

• Potential for student savings, including class enrollment and existing resource costs
• Use of Open Educational Resources (freely available and free to be modified)
• Frequency of course offering, with a preference for high-enrollment, required courses, and/or courses that are part of the SCHEV Passport Program
• Impact of the project on open education, such as the development of high quality resources in areas for which no other open content is currently available
• Preference for statewide reach through multi-institutional efforts
• Commitment to continue offering the course for future years
• Agreement to the terms of the grant and required activities.

Deadline for applications is Jan. 31, 2019. Award notification will take place on March 1, 2019.

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VCU Libraries will host informational webinars on both campuses Jan. 9 and  23. The sessions will include a general introduction to the grants, the application process, and a Q&A

• January 9, 2019, 2 p.m.: Register at https://vivalib.libcal.com/event/4835260.
• January 23, 2019, 11 a.m.: Register at https://vivalib.libcal.com/event/4835305.