Congratulations to the 2026 recipients of our OER Awards! On Friday, May 1 we celebrated their contributions at our second annual OER End-of-Semester awards. This event recognized the faculty and staff who reduce financial barriers for students through the use, creation, and modification of open educational resources. Since UNE began tracking these efforts in 2023, these efforts have reached more than 4,000 students and saved over $500,000! This milestone reflects our commitment to reducing financial barriers, and our leadership in adopting innovative open educational practices.
2026 OER Award Recipients
Leadership in Open Education Award: Dr. Yang Kang (College of Dental Medicine)
As the lead investigator on a grant-funded study, Dr. Kang examined how zero-cost materials influence student learning outcomes and clinical success in restorative sciences. Her work provides the evidence needed to scale these efforts across all UNE professional programs and is extremely innovative in the dental field, where the impact of OER has yet to be explored.
Open Textbook Impact Award: Dr. Kelsey Speer (Biology)
Dr. Speer’s contribution was a revised scientific writing guide to replace a traditional $40 textbook. This change saved over 200 students a collective $8,000 in a single semester. Once student pilot testing is finished, the guide will be published openly for others to use and adapt.
Open Collaboration Award: Elise Ostensson and Dr. Marissa Lyon
In response to student feedback about a lack of affordable neuroscience resources, Ostensson and Lyon partnered to bridge the gap for Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy students. They used a “Modify/Create” grant to remix existing open texts into a customized resource. Their work ensures that all PT students have access to essential, high-quality materials.
Next Steps
We are preparing a statewide survey this fall to better understand the ongoing impact of course material costs. OER grants for academic year 2026/2027 are available. Apply and join the movement toward a culture of academic innovation and equity at UNE.