[LIBRARYDIR] New U.S. Dept. of Ed. COVID Relief Guidance Supports OER

[Boyoung Chae]

Today, the U.S. Department of Education released new guidance for the use of COVID emergency funds<https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerf-support-basic-needs-final.pdf?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=> allocated to colleges and universities under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF I-III).

The Department’s FAQ <https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerf-support-basic-needs-final.pdf?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=> document (page 3) outlines a set of activities that are considered allowable uses of HEERF dollars, and OER is explicitly mentioned as one of the strategies to meet students’ basic needs during the pandemic.

SPARC has published a new blog post highlighting how campuses are using HEERF and other COVID relief funds for OER activities that reduce textbook costs, expand access to materials, and support remote learning. Please take a look:

Leveraging OER to Meet Student Basic Needs with COVID Relief Dollars
<https://sparcopen.org/news/2022/leveraging-oer-to-meet-student-basic-needs-with-covid-relief-dollars/>

Boyoung


Boyoung Chae, Ph.D.

Pronouns: she, her, hers

Policy Associate, Educational Technology & Open Education

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges

Openwa.org<http://www.openwa.org/> | OER & Low-Cost Label<https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programs-services/educational-technology-open-education/oer-low-cost-label-implementation.aspx>

bchae at sbctc.edu<mailto:bchae at sbctc.edu> |360-628-3549

________________________________
From: Nicole Allen <nicole at sparcopen.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2022 11:33 AM
To: SPARC Members <sparc-members at sparcopen.org>
Subject: [SPARC] New U.S. Dept. of Ed. COVID Relief Guidance Supports OER


Dear SPARC members,


Today, the U.S. Department of Education released<https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-takes-actions-support-students%E2%80%99-basic-needs-and-mitigate-spread-covid-19-colleges-and-universities> new guidance for the use of COVID emergency funds allocated to colleges and universities under the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF I-III). The Department’s FAQ document<https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerf-support-basic-needs-final.pdf?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=> outlines a set of activities that are considered allowable uses of HEERF dollars, and OER is explicitly mentioned as one of the strategies to meet students’ basic needs during the pandemic.


>From page 3 of the Department’s January 20, 2022 FAQ on HEERF funds<https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/heerf-support-basic-needs-final.pdf?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=>:


Institutions seeking to provide high-quality, free textbooks and supplies to their students can use their HEERF grant funds to establish a library or program of Open Educational Resources (OER) or form a partnership with an existing OER platform.


Some institutions have already invested COVID relief funds in OER programs, and the Department’s explicit guidance opens the door for more efforts to leverage OER as a strategy to ensure all students have access to course materials. Virtually all U.S. institutions have received HEERF funds, and many are still spending them down, so now is an excellent time to contact your administration with a proposal for one-time OER funding.


SPARC applauds the Department for including OER in this guidance, and especially appreciates that OER is framed as an impactful way to build long-term capacity for meeting basic student needs. As we enter year three of the pandemic, it is not enough to think about offsetting textbook costs one semester at a time—institutions must consider how to leverage strategies like OER that are more resilient, sustainable, and benefit students year after year.


SPARC has published a new blog post<https://sparcopen.org/news/2022/leveraging-oer-to-meet-student-basic-needs-with-covid-relief-dollars/> highlighting how campuses are using HEERF and other COVID relief funds for OER activities that reduce textbook costs, expand access to materials, and support remote learning. Please share it widely.


We would like to thank everyone who previously responded to our call for examples of COVID relief funded projects, and we encourage you to let us know about any not captured in the post.


Cheers,

Nicole




Nicole Starr Allen
SPARC<http://www.sparcopen.org/> | Director of Open Education
1201 Connecticut Ave NW, #608
Washington, DC 20036 USA
+1 (202) 750-1637
nicole at sparcopen.org<mailto:nicole at sparcopen.org>
@txtbks<http://twitter.com/txtbks>

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