Open Educational Resources in Colorado
Colorado is leading the way in Open Educational Resources (OER) adoption, which has been shown to foster innovation, reduce costs and boost student success.
Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely available online teaching and learning materials accessible to students, instructors and self-learners. OER textbooks and other learning resources are openly licensed, typically under a Creative Commons License, with the ability for instructors and students to freely retain copies, re-use, revise, remix and share. OER are free, no-cost materials. OER offers provides materials the first day of class, access into the future after the course ends, and the most affordable cost for students of $0.
OER Grant Program
The Colorado OER Grant Program funds the adoption and development of open educational resources at institutions across the state. The OER grant program launched in 2018 with three years of funding from H.B. 18-1331, and then the program was expanded an additional five years through S.B. 21-215. The OER adopted, adapted, or created in the first five cycles of the grant program has saved Colorado students over $50 million in textbook costs to date. Learn more about the impact of the Colorado OER Grant Program in the Transforming Education Practices through Open Educational Resources 2024 Report.
The Request for Proposals for the eighth cycle of grant funding is open. Proposals are due Monday, September 15, 2025. The eighth cycle of the grant program will award $1 million to OER projects. Please contact OER@dhe.state.co.us with any questions.
Annual Colorado OER Conference
The 2025 Colorado OER Conference will held on Friday, May 30 at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley. The theme of the 2025 Colorado OER Conference is “Mapping the Open Road: Navigating the Future of OER.” At the conference, we will explore the shifting educational landscape, future of open educational practices, and collaboratively traveling the Open road.
Let's map the Open road together at the 2025 Colorado OER Conference! Free registration is open now.
Join the Colorado OER Community newsletter to stay updated on all Colorado OER opportunities.
Awards totaling $1,000,000 for the seventh year of OER grant awards were approved by the Colorado Commission on Higher Education on December 4, 2024. Nearly half of the funding was awarded to grant projects that will develop zero textbook cost "z-degrees." See awarded projects by grant type below.
Z-degree OER Grants 2025/26
| Project Title | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Early Childhood Education Zero Textbook Cost Project Part II | Arapahoe Community College | $39,690.94 |
| Continued Expansion of OER Major Coursework Z-Degree, Business for Creative Industries, BAS Degree Program and Initial Exploration Work for Z-Degree GenEd Certificate | Front Range Community College | $26,203.00 |
| Open Roadrunners Year 7: Developing Zero Textbook Cost Degrees in 2025-26 | Metropolitan State University of Denver | $100,439.00 |
| CNCC: Expanding OER Options (Cohort 7) | Colorado Northwestern Community College | $78,504.00 |
| Staging Success Part II: A ZTC-Degree Pathway for RRCC Theatre Studies | Red Rocks Community College | $46,100.00 |
| Mathematics and Data Science Z-degrees at CU Denver | University of Colorado Denver | $63,413.00 |
| Aims Community College OER Cohort 7 Completion of a Z-degree | Aims Community College | $71,198.00 |
| Lowering textbook costs for undergraduate nursing students: A collaborative project between Fort Lewis College and the University of Colorado College of Nursing | University of Colorado College of Nursing and Fort Lewis College | $103,546.00 |
Collaborative OER Grants 2025/26
| Project Title | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Open Horizons: Rural Innovation through CCCS and Open Education | Colorado Community College System | $18,825.00 |
| Building an OER video collection for pre-service and in-service teachers that highlights translanguaging possibilities in K-12 science learning environments | Metropolitan State University of Denver | $49,058.50 |
| Development of the Colorado OER Anatomy Hub | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus | $76,200.00 |
Small Group OER Grants 2025/26
| Project Title | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Advancing Equity: OER Integration in Statistics and Calculus Education | Red Rocks Community College | $25,000.00 |
| Colorado History OER | Community College of Aurora | $10,000 |
| Teaching Climate Change Across the Curriculum - Open Access Climate Resources for Higher Education. | University of Northern Colorado | $19,545.00 |
General Incentive OER Grants 2025/26
| Project Title | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Roaring Ahead: Strengthening OER Engagement Among UNC Bears | University of Northern Colorado | $41,160.33 |
| MSU Denver Open Roadrunners: OER incentives for widespread OER adoption in 2025-26 | Metropolitan State University of Denver | $40,582.00 |
| Incentivizing OER Adoption at ACC | Arapahoe Community College | $39,015.94 |
| OERDiggers: Furthering OER Development at Colorado School of Mines | Colorado School of Mines | $40,600.00 |
| General Education OER at CCA: Further Building of Z-Program Pathways | Community College of Aurora | $30,600.00 |
| Enhancing OER Adoption and Implementation at Pikes Peak State College | Pikes Peak State College | $37,446.00 |
Individual & Professional Development OER Grants 2025/26
| Project Title | Institution | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Preparing Highly Effective Teachers for Diverse Learners: Creating Equitable Access to Inclusive Instruction | University of Northern Colorado | $10,000 |
| Rural Initiative OER Professional Development | Adams State University | $2,603.29 |
| Rural Initiative OER Professional Development | Colorado Mountain College | $2,535.00 |
| Rural Initiative OER Professional Development | Colorado Mesa University | $3,342.00 |
| Rural Initiative OER Professional Development | Lamar Community College | $2,616.00 |
| Rural Initiative OER Professional Development | Morgan Community College | $2,024.00 |
| Rural Initiative OER Professional Development | Northeastern Junior College | $2,200.00 |
| Rural Initiative OER Professional Development | Otero College | $2,212.00 |
| Rural Initiative OER Professional Development | Technical College of the Rockies | $3,472.00 |
| Rural Initiative OER Professional Development | Trinidad State College | $3,228.00 |
| Rural Initiative OER Professional Development | Western Colorado University | $3,186.00 |
2024-25 Grantee Cohort #6
The Colorado Department of Higher Education awarded its sixth round of grant awards. Awards totaling $1,000,000 were approved by the CCHE in March of 2024. Read more in the 2025 OER Report.
2023-24 Grantee Cohort #5
The Colorado Department of Higher Education awarded its fifth round of grant awards. Awards totaling $960,018 were approved by the CCHE in March of 2023. Read more in the 2024 OER Report.
2022-23 Grantee Cohort #4
The Colorado Department of Higher Education awarded its fourth round of grant awards. Awards totaling $968,803 were approved by the CCHE in March of 2022. Read more in the 2023 OER Report.
2021-22 Grantee Cohort #3
The Colorado Department of Higher Education awarded its third round of grant awards. Awards totaling $875,000 were approved by the CCHE in March of 2021. Read more in the 2022 OER Report.
2020-21 Grantee Cohort #2
$1 million was awarded for 35 different Open Education grantees, from individual faculty initiatives to institutional and inter-institutional projects in February 2020. Read more in the 2021 OER Report.
2019-20 Cohort #1
The Colorado Department of Higher Education awarded nearly $550,000 to power 20 groundbreaking OER Grantees that reflect the diversity of OER innovation. Read about the first cohort of grantees in the 2019 OER Report and 2020 OER Report.
2023-24 Colorado Open Education Resources Council
In the 2017 session, the Colorado legislature passed and the Governor signed Senate Bill 17-258, which creates the Open Educational Resources Council. This statewide body is charged to develop a plan for resources to benefit college and K-12 students throughout Colorado.
| Name | Institution | |
|---|---|---|
| Katherine Brown, Chair | Colorado State University Pueblo | katherine.brown@csupueblo.edu |
| Jonathan Dyhr, Vice Chair | Metropolitan State University Denver | jdyhr@msudenver.edu |
| Rebecca Blickhahn | Student Representative, CSU Pueblo | rc.blickhahn@pack.csupueblo.edu |
| Mitch Cota | Arapahoe Community College | mitch.cota@arapahoe.edu |
| Rebecka Cranwell | Northeastern Junior College | rebecka.cranwell@njc.edu |
| Jennifer DeBoer | Western Colorado University | jdeboer@western.edu |
| Medora Huseby | Colorado State University | medora.huseby@colostate.edu |
| Karen Kammerling | Colorado Mountain College | kkaemmerling@coloradomtn.edu |
| Jennifer Mayer | University of Northern Colorado | jennifer.mayer@unco.edu |
| Patrick Mundt | Colorado College | pmundt@coloradocollege.edu |
| Elia Trucks | University of Denver | elia.trucks@du.edu |
| Leslie Reynolds | University of Colorado Boulder | leslie.reynolds@colorado.edu |
| Nicholas Swails | Colorado Northwestern Community College | Nicholas.Swails@cncc.edu |
| Jacqueline Tomrdle | Pikes Peak State College | jacqueline.tomrdle@pikespeak.edu |
State Designees
| Name | Institution | |
|---|---|---|
| Charissa Brammer | Colorado State Library | brammer_c@cde.state.co.us |
| Mallorie Klemm | Colorado Department of Education | klemm_m@cde.state.co.us |
| Chealsye Bowley | Colorado Department of Higher Education | chealsye.bowley@dhe.state.co.us |
OER Council meetings are typically held on the first Friday of the month from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM on Zoom. Upcoming OER Council meetings are December 6, January 10, February 7, March 7, April 4, May 2, and June 6. Council meetings are open to the public and can be joined wvia Zoom.
The agenda and notes from the August 2025 to June 2025 OER Council meetings are available online. The OER Council does not meet in July.