Applications are now open for a popular grant program that makes it easier for McMaster University instructors to adopt, adapt, or create high-quality open textbooks and course materials to improve teaching and learning. 

The McMaster Open Educational Resources (OER) Grant Program is supported by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President (Academic), McMaster University Libraries, the McMaster Students Union, and the MacPherson Institute. It provides successful applicants with funding to create new OER or to adopt or customize existing OER. This means cost savings for students. The program also offers an honorarium for instructors to peer review existing OER.  

“There are different types of grants to support the agency of instructors to use OER in ways that work best for them,” said Katie Harding, teaching and learning librarian, OER and STEM at McMaster University Libraries. “The adoption, adaptation, and creation grants, as well as peer review honorariums, allow for flexibility as they integrate OER into their courses.” 

Part of the global Open Access movement, OER are teaching, learning and research materials that can be used, shared or modified based on their open-licence permissions. 

The program supports the use of OER to benefit teaching and learning by enhancing equal access to and discoverability of learning resources and contributing to student cost savings. 

The McMaster grant program was created to increase instructors’ awareness of these resources and encourage exploration of new teaching approaches.   

“OER offers a way for instructors to teach, learn, assess or research in a way that is freely accessible and available to anyone, and removes financial barriers that students experience in accessing course materials,” said Joanne Kehoe, manager, digital learning strategic framework at the Office of the Vice-Provost, Teaching and Learning. “This funding is critical to improving access to the learning resources students need to succeed.” 

The call for proposals for 2025-26 offers three levels of OER grants and an honorarium, including an adoption grant (up to $1,000 each); adaptation grant (up to $2,500 each); creation grant (up to $7,500 each), and a peer review honorarium ($250). 

How to apply 

Applications for the 2025-26 McMaster OER Grant Program opened on March 27, 2025. The deadline to apply is Friday, May 30, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. 

 A virtual information session for the OER Grant Program will be held on Monday, May 5 from 12:30-1 p.m. during Teaching and Learning Month this May. More information will be available about this session on the Teaching and Learning Month webpage in April.  

For more information about the OER program or to apply, visit the OER Grant webpage or email oer@mcmaster.ca.