SIU trustees hear OER task force update and $10,000 grant to explore statewide publishing hub

Members of the Southern Illinois University system’s Open Educational Resources (OER) Task Force told trustees on Dec. 4 that expanding free, openly licensed course materials is lowering student costs and strengthening teaching across SIU campuses. "OER reduce students’ financial stress and improve access," task force member Elsa Ibra Sheva said during the Academic Matters Committee meeting.

Sheva and colleague Amy Etcheson described systemwide efforts that have trained faculty champions and connected SIU to national OER networks, including DOORS. They said the task force is working with SIU Press and that the system is the first in Illinois to join a national OER collaborative, which the presenters said will help faculty find and apply best practices.

The presenters said textbook prices have risen about 160% since 2000 and that many students delay or skip required materials because of cost. To support state‑level publishing capacity, they reported receiving a $10,000 grant from the Midwestern Higher Education Compact to host a statewide hybrid mini‑conference in spring. The conference will convene Illinois OER leaders to study whether SIU Press can serve as a project management hub for OER publishing, a step the presenters argued would reduce barriers for faculty authors and make OER outputs count toward tenure and promotion.

Trustees praised the work and asked how OER will interact with SIU’s existing textbook rental model and the university’s recent R1 and opportunity‑university designations. The presenters said OER adoption is complementary to rental programs and faculty control over curriculum, and that the system’s national partnerships provide technical support for sustainable implementation.

The Academic Matters Committee took no vote on the presentation; the item was an informational update. Trustees requested future updates after the spring conference and as the SIU Press collaboration is developed.