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UMFK OER Grant Program

The UMFK OER Committee would like to thank the UMFK Foundation for its role in jump-starting the OER initiative that was created in 2019. From there we were able to use funds from elsewhere to continue the program.

The committee will continue its efforts to make Open Educational Resources a priority at UMFK.

As a way to recognize those instructors who have begun the move or who have already moved to OER, we present a brief look into what they are doing below. Some will have received grants some not but all worked toward making education a more equitable experience for our students.

FY2025 Recipient

Shawn Graham, Associate Professor of Counseling and Behavioral Science (bio)

Associate Professor Shawn Graham received one of two $1,000 Open Educational Resources (OER) grants for his work on adapting his course, PSY221 Psychosocial Rehabilitation, to OER content. He implemented the changes in spring 2025 (FY2025).

Professor Graham developed and collected a number of resources for his course:

  • Developed a case study of a young man diagnosed with Bipolar 1 disorder that he had his students follow and work with as they explored concepts and treatment considered as relevant throughout the course.
  • Created PowerPoint presentations to accompany course lectures.
  • Developed Podcasts using Notebook LM, an AI tool for quick summarization and note taking, to support lectures and class discussions.
  • Provided peer-reviewed journal articles to supplement lectures and student discussions.
  • Made available documents such as different types of assessment tools that are used in the practice of psychosocial rehabilitation.
  • Linked to credible professional organizations, such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Recovery and Recovery Support, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association.
  • Invited experts in the field to provide guest lectures on specific topics

Professor Graham removed an impediment to students and provided them equitable access to education.

FY2025 Recipient

Lisa Lavoie, Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science (bio)

Assistant Professor Lisa Lavoie received one of two $1,000 Open Educational Resources (OER) grants for her OER adaptation of PSY362 Abnormal Psychology. Professor Lavoie taught the course in spring 2025 (FY2025) and saved students roughly $300 each. 

Professor Lavoie developed and collected a number of resources for her course:

  • Selected two OER texts for the course and linked them within the Campus Store website for student access.
  • Collected a variety of videos to support the course curriculum.
  • Supplemented the OER texts with reputable statistical websites.
  • Used AI Generative software (AIG) to assist in generating tests for the course (work in progress)
  • Had students choose a topic and then lead brief class discussions
  • Replaced the research paper style of teaching with a teaching presentation by students. The presentation was based on a topic of their choice related to Abnormal Psychology and used researched peer-reviewed articles.
  • Self-reflection essays, Scholar's Symposium, and a reflection based on the Symposium are also part of the curriculum.

Professor Lavoie helped students spend less time worrying about the costs of course material, and more time on actually learning, thereby making their education more accessible.

FY2025 Recipient

Joseph Becker, Professor of English (bio)

Professor Becker received a $500 Open Educational Resources (OER) grant to adopt open-access material for his course, ENG255 World Literature I. He used the OER text World Literature I: Beginnings to 1650 in the fall of FY2025. 

To address easy access to the large text files' size and content, Professor Becker linked to individual assigned readings within the discussion boards of the Brightspace course. The complete text was also available in the course for students to use.

FY2024 Recipient

Geraldine Becker, Professor of English and Creative Writing

Professor Becker received a $1,000 grant to adapt your ENG100 College Composition I course.

In making the changes she needed, Professor Geraldine Becker incorporated the following:

Recommended commercial resources, though not required:
  • R. B. Axelrod & C. R. Cooper, The Concise St. Martin’s Guide to Writing, 8th ed. ISBN:  978-131-905-854-8
  • Lee A. Jacobus, A World of Ideas, 10th ed. ISBN:  978-131-904-740-5

Resources were accessed online or shared following these OWL Purdue guidelines: Terms and Conditions of Fair Use

FY2024 Recipient

Joseph BeckerProfessor of English

Professor Becker received a $1,000 OER grant for his work to adapt his ENG101 English Composition II course to OER content.

Professor Joseph Becker incorporated the following:

Professor Joseph Becker wrote about his use of OER in his course. He said that "Providing readings at no cost helps increase student engagement from the start of the course (no textbooks to purchase, await to arrive, or delay purchasing due to lack of funds, etc.)."

FY2023 Recipients

Dr. Stacey Elmore. Assistant Professor of Environmental and Arctic Studies

Dr. Elmore is a wildlife and public health ecologist with research experience in the Canadian Arctic. She holds a PhD in Veterinary Microbiology from the University of Saskatchewan and degrees in Ecology (MS, Colorado State University) and Wildlife Biology (BS, Colorado State University). She applied and received a grant of $500 to adopt Negotiating Climate Change in Crisis for her ENV 341 course: Modern Humanity and the Environment course. 

 

Loni Nadeau, Assistant Director of Academic SupporLoni Nadeau, Assistant Director of Academic Support & Instructional Design

Ms. Nadeau applied and received a grant for $1,000 to adapt College Success for her Hum102 course also called First Year Experience. In addition, she adapted and/or created ancillary materials to help provide a more robust learning experience for her students.

FY2022 Recipient

Dr. Kaisa Holloway Cripps

Dr. Holloway Cripps's "...research interests focus on developing an interdisciplinary research and learning framework for undergraduates which focuses on understanding the Arctic through a western and indigenous fused pedagogy through the lens of the U.N. sustainable development goals and supports the University of Maine Arctic Initiative."

The grants Dr. Holloway Cripps received will further her goals in the new Arctic Studies program at UMFK, which also connects with the University of Maine  Arctic Initiative.

Spring 2022 development for NOR 421:

FY2021 Recipient

Dr. Leo Trudel, Associate Professor of Business

Leo Trudel,Associate Professor of Business

In the 2021 spring semester, Professor Trudel eliminated costly textbooks by adopting
OER texts for his Marketing, Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics courses.
He also adapted materials for another course, Advanced Excel.

Professor Trudel said he found the work on the Advanced Exel time-consuming, yet rewarding.
Additionally, he said that the quality of his students’ work and their performance was just as good as if he had used commercial texts.

Professor Trudel was the first recipient of one of the two $500 stipends awarded by the UMFK Foundation mentioned above.

 

COS 103 Team

In 2021 the UMFK Foundation awarded a team of UMFK staff and one faculty a $500 grant to convert the COS 103 course to all Open Educational Resources. The team at the time was Dr. Dawn Susee, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Loni Nadeau, Assistant Director of Academic Support & Instructional Design; Nikolas Lallemand, Director of Student Support Services; and Jacob (Jake) Theriault, Joint Associate Registrar and Degree Completion Specialist.

The COS 103 Team modified a 4 credit course to a 3 credit course that included the following:

  • Adopted an OER textbook Intro to Computer Applications or Business Computers for Office 365 (see newer version), which replaced a commercial text on Microsoft
  • Developed and/or collected learning activities and programs, tutorials, instructional videos, quizzes, and other resources all of which replaced an expensive software program students had to purchase.

The COS 103 team was able to create a financially stress-free environment for their students. 

Other UMFK Instructors Using OER

Dr. Neil P Thompson, Irving Woodlands Forestry Professor Dr. Thompson eliminated the textbook from FOR 100 (Introduction to Forestry) in 2018 in favor of open-source readings and began developing his own video-format OER for GIS 300 (GIS Applications I) and FOR 242 (Map and LiDAR Interpretation) in 2019. This grew into fully online delivery of these two courses in Spring 2021 and will likely develop into an online option for both courses in future years. He has also created videos on the identification of spruce budworm and other insects, diseases, and invasive species used in FOR 330 (Forest Protection II). 

Hosting the GIS, LiDAR, and entomology/pathology material publicly on the UMFK Forestry YouTube channel has allowed their use by working professionals and members of the public in Maine, across the border in Canada, and around the world. They have been used and shared within government agencies, private research collaboratives, and among foresters. The permanent posting also allows graduates to revisit material they may need in their careers and view updated material on courses that have developed since their time here. 

Utilization of OER is not enough--somebody has to create it. Widespread use and appreciation of material available from UMFK courses builds confidence in the content delivered here and contributes to the outreach mission of the University. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCztJHsMrIm8sf0QyA7uTb6Q 
Kennedy "Ned" F. Rubert-Nason, Ph.D.

"In the fall, 2021 semester, Professor Rubert-Nason will be adopting an OER textbook (Chemistry: Atoms First 2e) for his general chemistry course. Transitioning to the OER lowers the financial burden borne by students taking this course, which already includes a substantial laboratory fee. 


Furthermore, the OER integrates with the Chem101 adaptive learning software, which is being introduced to the online version of his course in order to provide a more interactive learning experience for students who cannot participate in face-to-face instruction. 


Lastly, the free OER alleviates the challenge of selecting a textbook that satisfies the learning needs of students who are taking general chemistry for a single semester and for two semesters."

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