University of Houston Libraries

UH Libraries, in collaboration with the UH Office of the Provost, offers the Alternative Textbook Incentive Program (ATIP) to support instructors in the adoption of open educational resources (OER). Now in its fifth award cycle, ATIP promotes student success by ensuring UH students have free and immediate access to course materials.

This program aligns with the university’s strategic goal to provide a top tier, inclusive educational experience for all students. By removing additional costs associated with commercial course materials or subscription services, ATIP improves access to affordable education. Since its launch in 2018, ATIP has impacted over eleven thousand UH students, resulting in an estimated $1.4 million in cost savings by eliminating textbook costs.

ATIP is designed to support:

• Adoption of existing no-cost resources
• Modification/adaptation of existing OER
• Creation of OER, particularly open ancillary materials, e.g., lecture slides, test banks, quizzes, lesson plans, videos, etc.

This program is not intended to support authorship and publication of new open textbooks. Those interested in publishing open textbooks can indicate their interest to oer@uh.edu to be notified of future opportunities.

All UH instructors of record are eligible for ATIP.

Accepted proposals will replace a required traditional textbook(s) in a course with a no-cost or low-cost alternative textbook, which may include:

• Adoption, adaptation, or creation of open educational resources (OER)
• Assembly of library sponsored or freely-available resources
• A combination of OER, library sponsored or freely-available resources

Awards will range from $1,000 to $5,000. ATIP awards are taxable income and can be used for any purpose. One half will be distributed upon acceptance, and one half will be distributed upon the submission of the project report. For group applications, award amounts are split evenly between group members unless otherwise requested.

Timeline

Instructors will implement alternative textbook materials for a full academic year, beginning in any semester of Academic Year 2023-24.  

• Early application deadline – March 3, 2023 (optional) 
• Final applications due – Friday, March 24, 2023 (Extended: Friday, March 31, 2023)
• Awardees notified – Early May 2023 
• Adopt alternative textbook as required course materials – Fall 2023, Spring 2024, or Summer 2024 
• Distribute the provided ATIP Student Survey in each semester the course is offered 
• Submit ATIP report in last semester of ATIP implementation cycle 

Selection Criteria

The following criteria will be used in selecting awardees and determining award amounts:

• Total students impacted: projected enrollment and frequency of course(s) taught 
• Projected cost savings for students: new purchase price for the current required textbook(s) used in the course 
• Type of alternative textbook: preference for OER over library sponsored or freely-available resources online to ensure stability of access to materials 
• Feasibility of successful implementation of plan

The following will also be considered:

• Cost of alternative textbook: preference for $0 required course materials 
• Type of project: those requiring modification/creation of OER may receive higher funding 
• Individuals versus groups: group applications may receive higher funding 
• Contribution to diversity, equity, and inclusion: preference for projects that amplify DEI; this could take the form of a project seeking to fill a gap in diverse representation in an existing resource, or demonstrating benefits to a marginalized group 
• New applicants: preference for instructors who have not been awarded through ATIP previously 
• Overall quality and clarity of application

• Replace a required traditional textbook(s) in a course with a no-cost or low-cost alternative textbook, which may include:
  • Adoption, adaptation, or creation of open educational resources (OER)
  • Assembly of library sponsored or freely-available resources
  • A combination of OER, library sponsored or freely-available resources
• Implement the alternative textbook for a full academic year, beginning in any semester of AY 23-24
• Meet with the Open Education Services Department at least once to discuss project plan prior to implementing the alternative textbook
• Distribute a survey to students in the course(s) in which the alternative textbook is implemented
• Submit an updated syllabus and final project report upon completion of the course that includes: final student enrollment; analysis of reception of alternative text(s) by students; and an evaluation of the experience of teaching with an alternative textbook 
• Report the open or alternative textbook adoption to the UH Bookstore. Adoptions can be reported via Follett Discover. For assistance, please contact Samantha Eades, Store Manager, or Susan Harvey, Course Materials Manager.

For original content created as part of ATIP, award recipients are expected to:

• License with an open license (Creative Commons)
• Maximize the accessibility of resources created
• Archive in Cougar ROAR, UH’s open access institutional repository
• Submit to an OER repository, such as OERTX

• Incentive award ranging from $1,000 to $5,000
• Individual consultations and training resources to support project
• Assistance searching for open educational resources and library materials
• Copyright and Creative Commons licensing guidance
• Course Reserves support for making library materials available in Canvas
• Assistance archiving work in Cougar ROAR
• Access to Pressbooks, UH’s platform for OER publishing, and assistance in publishing OER created using Pressbooks

The application period has closed.

View a PDF copy of the application form below:

Applicants will be notified of acceptance in May 2023.

If you have questions about the program, please contact oer@uh.edu.

The Open Education Services Department hosted a virtual ATIP Information Session to provide an overview of the program on Friday, February 17 via Zoom. Access the recording and/or slides using the links below:

• Recording 
  Passcode: jH7B%3E^
• Slides