We are excited to announce that VIVA's Request for Proposals for the next round of VIVA Open Course Grants (formerly Course Redesign Grants) is officially open! Applications are due February 23, 2022, and award notification will take place on May 20, 2022.

VIVA Open Course Grants are designed to empower Virginia faculty with the resources and time they need to design or update courses to include open, no cost, or library materials. Open Course Grant recipients are awarded $2,000 - $30,000 to adopt, adapt, or create a resource and pilot them in a course by spring, 2025.

Full or part-time faculty members at ODU and any other VIVA institution may apply. Proposals may involve one person or teams that include: teaching faculty, librarians, instructional designers, subject matter experts, editors, graphic designers, or others as needed. Multi-institutional teams are particularly encouraged.

More information, including the full Request for Proposals and application instructions are available at https://vivalib.org/va/open/grants/course. A list of past grant recipients can also be found on that page.

Successful applications will be based on:

  • Potential for student savings, including class enrollment and existing resource costs
  • Use of Open Educational Resources (freely available and free to be modified)
  • Frequency of course offering, with a preference for high-enrollment, required courses, and/or courses that are part of the SCHEV Passport or Transfer Virginia Programs
  • Impact of the project on open education, such as the development of high quality resources in areas for which no other open content is currently available
  • Impact on educational equity and outcomes in traditionally underserved communities
  • Preference for statewide reach through multi-institutional efforts
  • Commitment to continue offering the course for future years
  • Agreement to the terms of the grant and required activities

Attend a Webinar for more information

For faculty developing a syllabus for a new course or simply updating a syllabus for a new semester, we hope that these grants offer an opportunity to look to open and no-cost course materials to improve student engagement and course outcomes. Applicants are encouraged to contact VIVA at vivaopen@gmu.edu with questions, to talk through project ideas, or for feedback on application drafts.

You may also contact Karen Vaughan kvaughan@odu.edu, Head of Scholarly Communication & Publishing at ODU Libraries for more information. We are eager to assist you and/or serve as project partners.

*VIVA is funded by the Virginia General Assembly and VIVA member institutions, and is sponsored by the State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV).