The Open Western Fellowship program is designed to provide support for faculty in identifying and customizing existing OER and/or creating new OER to align with your course. This work includes creating a custom or localized edition of an existing open textbook, creating a new open textbook and/or course shell, and creating any necessary ancillary materials (e.g. assessments, slide decks, videos, interactive media).
This program was funded through a grant provided by the WTCS and the State of Wisconsin to promote the development and use of Open Educational Resources (OER) to enhance student learning experiences, reduce textbook costs, and promote access to educational materials. We opened an initial application in Fall of 2023 and completed projects in 2024 and 2025.
Our first round of grant funding provided support for 30 OER Fellowship projects with a combined estimated student savings of more than $215,000 per year.
Individual projects are described in greater detail below.
Course Name and Number: 10307187 ECE: Children With Differing Abilities
Project Type: Creation
Fellow: Sara Horstman
Project Manager: Kirsten Daykin
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Completed: February 2025
Links to Published Materials:
Course Name and Number: 10520101 Introduction to Human Services
Project Type: Remix
Fellow: Ashley Patros
Project Manager: Keri Grokowsky
Proofreader: Keri Grokowsky
Completed: October 2024
Links to Published Materials:
Course Number and Name: 10102169 Business Concepts
Project Type: Creation
Fellows: Jenny Parker and Mabel Gehrett
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Peggy Langreck
Project Completed: May 2024
Links to Published Materials:
Student Feedback:
"OER is one of my favorite things that Western has for the simple fact that it makes learning easier and less stressful. It provides me the opportunity to not worry about the cost of textbooks as well as having to carry one around. I utilized it in two of my classes so far and it has been easy to find the information I need."
"My experience with the Open Educational Resource (OER) used in my course has been a good one. Having a free textbook was a huge relief since I didn't have to worry about the high cost of buying a standard textbook, nor do I have to lug around a heavy textbook. The voice reader option is invaluable for students, like myself, who process and comprehend material more efficiently and effectively than by reading the pages. The OER was easy to use, making it simple to find what I needed for my assignments. The content was relevant to my studies, which made learning much more engaging. Overall, I think the OER is a fantastic resource that really supports students in their education."
"In many classes, including Business Concepts, a textbook was not required. This is beneficial for students, as it saves money and eliminates the struggle to find and obtain the right textbook. The rising costs of textbooks are becoming overwhelming. I spent $100 on one book this semester alone, which could have been used in better ways. It can also be challenging to know how to find the correct textbooks. Eliminating textbooks altogether would solve that headache. The fact that this class used OER (Open Educational Resources) instead of a traditional textbook was great. Students don’t necessarily need a textbook to learn effectively. The material we received for this class worked wonderfully and was free."
Course Number and Name: 10102130 Business Law
Project Type: Remix
Fellow: Mabel Gehrett
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Completed: July 2024
Links to Published Materials:
Course Name and Number: 10116163 Employee Benefits
Project Type: Creation
Fellow: Mabel Gehrett
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Completed: September 2024
Links to Published Materials:
Course Number and Name:10116120 Organizational Culture - Mabel Gehrett
Project Type: Adaption/Remix
Fellow: Mabel Gehrett
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Links to Published Materials:
Course Name and Number: 10206111 Intro to Motion Graphics
Fellow: James Bushman
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Eddie Hale
Link to Published Materials:
Course Name and Number: 10102151 Leadership for Business
Project Type: Creation
Fellow: Jamie Hammond
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Completed: February 2025
Links to Published Materials:
Course Name and Number: 10102153 Managing People
Project Type: Remix
Fellow: Mabel Gherett
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Completion: August 2024
Links to Published Materials:
Course Number and Name: 101601160 Medical Office Practicum
Fellow: Kaitlyn Junk
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Links to Published Materials:
Course Number and Name: 10102131 Operations Management
Project Type: Creation
Fellow: Jamie Hammond
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Completion: September 2024
Link to Published Materials:
Course Name and Number: 10102141 Organizational Behavior
Project Type: Creation
Fellow: Jamie Hammond
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Completion: July 2024
Links to Published Materials:
Course Number and Name:10116120 Organizational Culture - Mabel Gehrett
Project Type: Adaption/Remix
Fellow: Mabel Gehrett
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Links to Published Materials:
Course Number and Name: 10102134 Principles of Management
Project Type: Remix
Fellows: Jamie Hammond and Mabel Gehrett
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Completed: July 2024
Links to Published Materials:
Course Name and Number: 10116102 Talent Acquisition
Project Type: Creation
Fellow: Mabel Gehrett
Project Manager: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Proofreader: Linda VanSistine-Yost
Completed: September 2024
Links to Published Materials:
Course Name and Number: 10513110 Basic Lab Skills
Fellow: Kari Christenson
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Ellen Range
Proofreader: LeeAnne Schwan
Links to Published Materials:
Course Name and Number: 10601125 Air Conditioning
Fellow: Jeff Kiefer
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Ellen Range
Link to Published Materials: Air Conditioning (WISELearn)
Course Name and Number: 10410103 Construction Industry Basics
Fellow: Tim Hadsall
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Jason Mather
Proofreader: Jason Mather
Completed: February 2025
Link to Published Materials: Construction Industry Basics Sample Projects (WISELearn)
Course Name and Number: 10154145 Database Server Administration
Fellow: Tage Bushman
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Ellen Range
Proofreader: Niall Kader
Completed: April 2025
Link to Published Materials: Database Server Administration (WISELearn)
Course Name and Number: 32412412 Diesel Advanced Electricity
Fellow: Casey Eglinton
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Ellen Range
Completed: March 2025
Link to Completed Materials: Diesel Advanced Electricity (WISELearn)
Course Name and Number: 32412406 Diesel Electricity Fundamentals
Fellow: Casey Eglinton
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Ellen Range
Completed: March 2025
Link to Completed Materials: Diesel Electricity Fundamentals (WISELearn)
Course Name and Number: 32412407 Diesel Electricity Troubleshooting
Fellow: Casey Eglinton
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Ellen Range
Completed: March 2025
Link to Completed Materials: Diesel Electricity Troubleshooting (WISELearn)
Course Name and Number: 32412420 Intro to Electric Power Generation
Fellow: Casey Eglinton
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Ellen Range
Link to Completed Materials: Intro to Electric Power Generation (WISELearn)
Course Name and Number: 10606115 Parametric Design 1
Fellow: Alex Bahl
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Ellen Range
Link to Published Materials:
Course Name and Number: 10152144 Web Programming 1
Fellow: Niall Kader
Project Type: Creation
Project Manager: Ellen Range
Proofreader: Tage Bushman
Completed: April 2025
Links to Published Materials:
Fellow: Julia Callaghan
Project Type: Adaption/Remix
Project Manager: Ellen Range
Completed: March 2025
Links to Published Materials:
