OER provides the toolbox for modernizing higher education while curriculum improvements provide the design. Since 2016 Prince George's Community College and LibreTexts have used this synergy to build new STEM courses attracting significant external support. PGCC created new engineering OER in collaboration with LibreTexts. This was the basis for a NASA grant which also modernized teaching labs. PGCC then became one of the partner institutions in the inaugural Open Textbook Pilot program. The college provided additional support. To date, there are over 60 custom textbooks which have been used by over 1000 sections and by over 15,000 students. A second NASA sponsored grant is developing STEM majors at PGCC that are coordinated with the curriculum at the University of Maryland. Relieving the textbook cost burden on students has driven OER creation, but support of new, better and up-to-date curricula is where OER really shines.
Attendees of this session will be able to:- The benefits of refocusing the OER creation on curriculum improvement.
- How the creation and use of OER can be used to support grant proposals attracting new external funding
- How innovative OER improves and spreads the reputation of the authors and their institution
