WV Impact Grants II: Spring 2027 Call for Proposals
Impact Grants II are specifically intended to support collaborative work with broader and lasting impact in OER. Individual projects and projects focused solely on converting a single course to OER will not be funded. Proposals may be submitted by teams from West Virginia public two-year and four-year institutions.
- Award Amount: $10,000
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 6
- Proposals Due: November 23, 2026
- Awards Announced: November 23, 2026
- Project Period: January – June, 2027
Impact Grants Awardees - Fall 2026
Impact Grants support West Virginia faculty and institutions as they expand the use of open educational resources (OER) and find new ways to make college more affordable for students. These grants help faculty develop, adapt and share high-quality course materials that can reduce textbook costs while giving students greater access to the materials they need to succeed.
Total estimated student savings from these is expected to reach $398,478 to $710,864 per year.
The Fall 2026 Open Learning WV Impacts Grants support the expansion of OER in LevelUp WV (dual enrollment) and General Election. LevelUp WV provides high school students opportunities to earn college credit, while General Education courses provide the broad academic foundation shared across college majors.
Open Learning WV awarded nine grants to support the adoption, adaptation, and creation of OER and collaborative projects that increase access to affordable, high-quality learning materials for West Virginia students.
Institution | Project Description |
Bluefield State University | Expands the “First 30 Credits” initiative to establish a zero- or low-cost academic pathway by targeting high-enrollment General Studies courses that fulfill LevelUp dual-enrollment requirements. Participating faculty evaluate, adapt, and create shared OER materials and digital ancillaries (presentations, assessments) across Mathematics, Chemistry, History, Humanities, and Political Science, incorporating accessibility enhancements to ensure consistent first-day access across sections. |
Marshall University | Creates an up-to-date, AI-enhanced open textbook for Educational Psychology and the Developing Learner. The project revises learning outcomes to address AI access and employer expectations, produces supplemental faculty ancillaries (prompts, slides, AI-resistant assessments), and publishes an open knowledge graph of core course concepts to support interactive AI learning tools. |
BridgeValley Community & Technical College | Transitions the core biology sequence—Human Anatomy & Physiology I/II (BIOL 201/202), Anatomy & Physiology (BIOL 210/210L), and Nutrition (BIOL 245)—to OpenStax OER. Develops accessible online-friendly assignments, instructional videos, and master LMS course shells while providing training guides to support cross-departmental OER adoption. |
Shepherd University | Adapts and authors OER for high-demand dual-enrollment and Core Curriculum courses in General Sociology, Financial Literacy, Economics, and Cybersecurity. Enhances open-source software scripts for converting, remediating, and packaging OER texts into standardized LMS formats. |
West Virginia University Institute of Technology | Builds a specialized OER general education Calculus package (Calculus 1, 2, and 3) by creating a library of at least 20 practical engineering examples and exercises across Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, and Chemical disciplines. Integrates physical phenomena with abstract mathematical concepts to strengthen STEM student engagement and retention. |
Fairmont State University | Redevelops 14 course modules and instructional videos for Introduction to GIS (serving General Biology, Botany, and Environmental Science) to transition from desktop software to browser-accessible ArcGIS Online. Focuses coursework on West Virginia spatial data to remove software licensing barriers and prepare the course for dual-enrollment expansion. |
Southern WV Community & Technical College | Transitions General Education science and communication sequences (Chemistry I/II, Physical Science I/II, Interpersonal Communication) to OER aligned with statewide common course numbering. Simultaneously develops enhanced laboratory experiences, virtual simulations, and hands-on experiment kits for Human Anatomy & Physiology I/II. |
West Virginia State University | Transitions Advanced Effective Communication) and Writing for Business to zero-cost OER. Replaces commercial handbooks with open materials, constructs shared digital ancillary banks (rubrics, writing samples, case studies, slide decks), and builds standardized master course shells for campus and dual-credit offerings. |
Fairmont State University | Delivers a faculty development workshop series and readiness survey to guide 10 faculty members through complete OER course redesign plans for gateway courses in Written English I, College Algebra, American Government, and Intro to Psychology. Authors Creative Commons-licensed training modules and establishes a permanent institutional LibGuide |
Open Learning WV Grants - Summer 2026
The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) and the Community and Technical College System of West Virginia (CTCS) is awarding Open Learning WV Summer 2026 “From Learning to Earning” Campus Engagement Grants to support institutions in expanding the use of Open Educational Resources (OER), open pedagogy, and other no-cost teaching and learning approaches.
These grants support projects that engage faculty, librarians, instructional designers, and academic leaders in professional learning and collaborative activities designed to advance affordability, access, student engagement, and innovative teaching practices. Funded projects explore, adopt, create, adapt, or expand the use of OER and open teaching strategies across programs and disciplines.
Priority is given to projects that support workforce, technical, and career-focused programs, particularly in high-demand fields such as health care, advanced manufacturing, information technology, energy, and related disciplines where students often face additional costs for textbooks, lab materials, or certification-related resources.
Projects that intentionally integrate and strengthen essential (durable) skills, including communication, critical thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, adaptability, and digital literacy are also prioritized as part of preparing students for success in education, careers, and lifelong learning.
Funding projects include:
Open Learning WV Challenge Grants & Campus Engagement Grants
In 2025, we awarded $250,000 in Open Learning WV Challenge Grants to 10 faculty-led projects across nine colleges and universities. The goal: to make learning more affordable and accessible for every student in West Virginia. Seven of these were focused on dual enrollment/Level Up p giving high school students the opportunity to earn college credit without the added cost of textbooks:
In summer 2026, we awarded $40,500 in Open Learning WV Summer 2026 “From Learning to Earning” Campus Engagement Grants. Five projects were funded to support OER development in workforce, technical, and career-focused programs, particularly in high-demand fields such as healthcare, advanced manufacturing, information technology, energy, and related disciplines where students often face additional costs for textbooks, lab materials, or certification-related resources.
About OER Grants
Since 2021, Open Learning WV has helped West Virginia colleges and universities save students nearly $10 million through the adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) and other no-cost learning materials. Through an estimated $674,400 in grant funding, the initiative has supported faculty, librarians, instructional designers, and academic leaders at every public institution in the state. This investment includes 558 Regular OER Grants totaling $558,000, 34 BRIDGE Grants totaling $82,400, and 20 Dual Enrollment/LevelUp Grants totaling $20,000.
These grants have supported more than 300 faculty members and helped transition nearly 600 courses to OER and other affordable learning materials, reducing costs while expanding access to high-quality educational resources. The return on investment has been substantial: for every $1 invested through Open Learning WV grants, students have realized nearly $15 in savings.
The impact extends far beyond affordability. Approximately 6,000 West Virginia students have shared their experiences through Open Learning WV surveys. Nearly 67% reported that textbook costs are too high, while 72% indicated spending between $100 and $500 per semester on course materials. More than four out of five students said that not having to purchase a textbook is important to them, and 78.1% expressed a preference for low-cost or free online materials.
Students have also reported positive experiences with OER. Nearly 96% indicated that open materials were the same quality as or better than traditional textbooks, while 94% reported that accessing course material — especially on the first day of class — was easy.
By reducing financial barriers, improving day-one access to learning materials, and supporting innovative teaching practices, Open Learning WV continues to make higher education more affordable, accessible, and student-centered for learners across West Virginia.