September 14 – November 29, 2026
Apply for the Fall 2026 cohort by August 14
Collaborate with other Minnesota State faculty who are committed to saving students on the cost of textbooks and course resources by using open educational resources (OER).
There are 5 Project Types in the OER Learning Circle cohort:
- Redesign a course around OER.
- Create ancillary materials to complement an existing OER.
- Author a primary course resource.
- OER Course Update – update an OER course that was previously redesigned in an OER Learning Circle cohort (at least 4 years ago).
- OER Legacy Project – instructors thinking of retiring soon can use this as a chance to preserve wisdom and share their expertise for future faculty and students.
In addition to virtual weekly meetings, OER Learning Circles will utilize a D2L Brightspace course to support faculty.
Become OER Learning Circle Leader
If you have already participated in a learning circle, you can choose to become an OER Learning Circle Leader. Use this time to design, deliver, and evaluate an OER Learning Circle program at your campus. Gain experience in facilitating a cross-disciplinary cohort, and create a D2L support course room for your campus.
Compensation
Participants receive compensation in the form of release credit equivalency (RCE) of $1750* in combined salary and fringe.
*Minnesota State University, Mankato faculty receive compensation in 2.5 duty days.
Learn More
View previous work done in OER Learning Circles on the OER Project Showcase playlist in Kaltura MediaSpace.
Contact
Karen Pikula
Minnesota State OER Learning Circle Coordinator
karen.pikula@minnstate.edu