Looking for examples of OER project approval processes

[Dempsey, Megan]

Dear CCCOER, especially those who manage or oversee an institution’s OER program:

 

I am seeking examples, especially workflow or approval process charts if you have such a thing, of your institution’s process for soliciting, reviewing, and approving OER projects. This request is for the process at an individual institution, not system wide processes like those that are likely in place in California, Oregon and others that have statewide programs. We have no such structure and are only working within the college administration.

 

For context, since 2018 our program has operated in this way:

1. OER lead (who is not a dedicated OER position, i.e. it is not part of my job description) puts out a CFP and/or has informal conversations with faculty about adopting or creating OER
2. Faculty submits a detailed proposal form
3. Proposal is shared with an OER steering committee who reviews and approves, asks for more info, or does not approve.
4. OER lead coordinates with the college Foundation, which has a donor that financially supports OER projects, to secure funding commitment.
5. OER lead informs faculty of decision and funding; faculty member signs an agreement and begins work

 

So, formal but not complicated. College administration now wants to require additional layers of approval before a project is funded (grant funding, not college operational funding). A complex process was developed that includes approval from

• Other faculty teaching the course to review proposals and approve
• The entire academic department to review proposals and approves
• The academic department and divisional dean discuss and approve AND the divisional dean discusses with the Provost (both of whom have shown an inclination to reject projects despite steering committee approval)

 

Personally, I am horrified by the amount of bureaucracy they are desiring to put into this process, so I would love to get a sense of how OER projects move through an approval process at other community colleges.

 

I appreciate your input! Email directly to megan....@raritanval.edu

 

Megan Dempsey, she/her

Instructional Services Librarian

Evelyn S. Field Library
Raritan Valley Community College

 

[Elder, Abbey K [LIB]]

Good morning, Megan!

I would be happy to share our process here at Iowa State University. Apologies for the length of this email...

There are three "tracks" that an OER project might fall into to get support here, and that affects the process that the project would need to go through: 

1. Support-Focused Development:
1. The faculty member has a flexible deadline for the project, does not need funding, but does need additional support with development and design. The project may or may not be an open textbook.
2. These faculty members meet with me directly to discuss their project. If it sounds feasible, we work together on a tentative timeline for development, and set up a regular meeting schedule.
3. As the OER is developed, I review the faculty member's progress and we outline potential additions/changes to their work.
4. Once the project has reached a good base of pre-development (outlining, drafting, and planning for the next step), open textbook projects would transition into a #2 type project, while ancillaries/alternative materials would go through final production support and publication with help from me and/or our digital scholarship unit.
2. Publisher Production for Text-Based OER:
1. The faculty member has a draft, outline, or TOC for their project already, and plans to develop an open textbook. They do not need/want funding for their work.
2. These projects would submit a proposal to the ISU Digital Press using their proposal form (authors, TOC, timeline, etc).
3. The Press team would meet with the author to discuss the project, and determine if they have staff capacity to support the project given the author's intended timeline for publication.
4. After meeting with the author, if the project is accepted by the Press, a timeline for project development would be set up, accounting for peer review, editing, and typesetting from the Press team.
5. The author would then be handed over to me for training on things like accessibility, textbook design and development, and preparing draft chapters for import.
3. Competitive, Grant-Funded Support:
1. The faculty member has an idea for an OER project of any type, and wants to pursue an OER Mini-Grant ($1,000-$10,000 here).
2. They would be required to meet with me about their project to discuss their plan and prepare a proposal using our proposal template.
3. Submitted proposals are reviewed by a review committee including at least 3 faculty members (broadly covering fields in STEM, Arts & Humanities, and the Social Sciences), 3 subject liaison librarians, 2 instructional designers, and a representative from the Digital Press.
4. Proposals are judged based on a rubric and the availability of funds (typically $40,000/year). Some PIs might be asked to submit a revised proposal to account for budget limitations. 
5. Funded projects sign an MOU and are required to send project updates to me every 2 months, unless the authors are already meeting with me for project development support.
6. For open textbooks, the Digital Press is given right of first refusal for publication. Projects not accepted by the Press work with me directly on production and development. PIs are given 1-2 years to complete their work and submit a final report on their deliverable.

It's exciting that people want to be part of your process, but I understand the tensions with more blocks being put in front of people getting to work on an OER. I think coming back with an alternate proposal to instead incorporate more faculty peers into your existing review procedures could help with your current situation, but perhaps others will have more ideas to share!

I hope that helps!

--

Abbey K. Elder she, they

Open Education Services Librarian III, Iowa State University

Statewide Open Education Coordinator, Iowa OER

ORCiD: 0000-0003-2289-0166

E: ael...@iastate.edu

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From: 'Dempsey, Megan' via CCCOER Community Email <cccoer-...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 18, 2026 8:26 AM
To: CCCOER Advisory <cccoer-...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [CCCOER] Looking for examples of OER project approval processes

 

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