VIVA Open Course Grants Request for Proposals Now Open

On behalf of VIVA, Virginia’s academic library consortium, NOVA Libraries are pleased to announce that the Request for Proposals period for the next round of VIVA Open Course Grants (formerly Course Redesign Grants) is officially open! Applications are due February 23, 2021, and award notification will take place on May 14, 2020.

VIVA Open Course Grants are designed to empower Virginia faculty with the resources and time they need to design or update courses to include open, no cost or library materials. Open Course Grant recipients are awarded $2,000 to $30,000 to adopt, adapt or create a resource and pilot them in a course by spring 2024. The recipients of the 2020 Open Adopt Grants—$2,000 honoraria to adopt a pre-existing resource—were recently notified, and those who did not receive funding were encouraged to revise their application and apply for an Open Course Grant.

Faculty members at any VIVA institution, full or part time, 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. Multi-institutional teams are particularly encouraged to apply. More information, including the full RFP and application instructions are available Here. A list of past grant recipients can also be found on that page.

Webinars will be held at the following times, and will include a general introduction to the grants, the application process and a Q&A:

Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020, 1 p.m. until 2 p.m.; Register Here.

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, 10 a.m. until 11 a.m.; Register Here.

Monday, Feb. 8, 2021, 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.; Register Here.

Successful applications are 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 or Transfer Virginia Programs;
• 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;
• impact on educational equity and outcomes in traditionally underserved communities;
• preference for statewide reach through multi-institutional efforts;
• commitment to continue offering the course for future years and
• agreement to the terms of the grant and required activities.

VIVA is funded by the Virginia General Assembly and VIVA member institutions and is sponsored by the State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV).

For faculty developing a syllabus for a new course or simply updating a syllabus for a new semester, we hope that these grants offer an opportunity to look to open and no-cost course materials to improve student engagement and course outcomes. Applicants are encouraged to contact VIVA at vivaopen@gmu.edu with questions, to talk through project ideas or for feedback on application drafts.