Bill > H4651

This bill establishes an Open Educational Resource (OER) Trust Fund to reduce the cost of attending college by supporting the development and distribution of free educational materials. Open educational resources are defined as teaching and learning materials that can be freely accessed, used, and adapted with minimal restrictions. The bill creates a competitive grant program administered by the Commissioner of Higher Education to develop OER for public higher education institutions and early college programs. The trust fund can receive money from appropriations, gifts, grants, and donations, and can be used to support activities like developing free curricular materials, providing professional development for educators, offering technical assistance, and hiring staff to support OER initiatives. Public higher education institutions will be required to inform students about courses using OER-funded curricula, and grant recipients must report on the program's key performance indicators. The bill also mandates an annual report detailing the fund's activities, including funding sources, expenditures, participating institutions, estimated student savings, and the number of schools implementing OER materials. Additionally, the bill includes a pilot program to provide no-cost digital textbooks and learning materials, with the goal of reducing student expenses and improving educational outcomes.

Budget and Finance

Joint Committee on Higher Education (Joint)

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4651