Sec. 4. Grant program
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From the amounts appropriated under subsection (i), the Secretary shall make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible entities to support projects that expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students while maintaining or improving instruction and student learning outcomes. In this section, the term eligible entity means an institution of higher education or group of institutions of higher education. Each eligible entity desiring a grant under this section, after consultation with relevant faculty, shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such information as the Secretary may reasonably require.
Each application submitted under paragraph
(1)shall include a description of the project to be completed with grant funds and— a plan for promoting and tracking the use of open textbooks in postsecondary courses offered by the eligible entity, including an estimate of the projected savings that will be achieved for students; a plan for evaluating, before creating new open educational resources, whether existing open educational resources could be used or adapted for the same purpose; a plan for quality review and review of accuracy of any open educational resources to be created or adapted through the grant; a plan for assessing the impact of open textbooks on instruction and student learning outcomes at the eligible entity; a plan for disseminating information about the results of the project to institutions of higher education outside of the eligible entity, including promoting the adoption of any open textbooks created or adapted through the grant; and a statement on consultation with relevant faculty, including those engaged in the creation of open educational resources, in the development of the application. In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give special consideration to applications that demonstrate the greatest potential to— achieve the highest level of savings for students through sustainable expanded use of open textbooks in postsecondary courses offered by the eligible entity; expand the use of open textbooks at institutions of higher education outside of the eligible entity; and produce— the highest quality open textbooks; open textbooks that can be most easily utilized and adapted by faculty members at institutions of higher education; open textbooks that correspond to the highest enrollment courses at institutions of higher education; and open textbooks created or adapted in partnership with entities, including campus bookstores, that will assist in marketing and distribution of the open textbook. An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to carry out any of the following activities to expand the use of open textbooks: Professional development for any faculty and staff members at institutions of higher education, including the search for and review of open textbooks. Creation or adaptation of open educational resources, especially open textbooks. Development or improvement of tools and informational resources that support the use of open textbooks, including accessible instructional materials for students with disabilities. Research evaluating the efficacy of the use of open textbooks for achieving savings for students and the impact on instruction and student learning outcomes. Partnerships with other entities, including other institutions of higher education, for-profit organizations, or nonprofit organizations, to carry out any of the activities described in paragraphs
(1)through (4). Educational resources created under subsection
(e)shall be licensed under a nonexclusive, irrevocable license to the public to exercise any of the rights under copyright conditioned only on the requirement that attribution be given as directed by the copyright owner. The full and complete digital content of each educational resource created or adapted under subsection
(e)shall be made available free of charge to the public— on an easily accessible and interoperable website, which shall be identified to the Secretary by the eligible entity; and in a machine readable, digital format that anyone can directly download, edit with attribution, and redistribute. Upon an eligible entity’s completion of a project supported under this section, the eligible entity shall prepare and submit a report to the Secretary regarding— the effectiveness of the project in expanding the use of open textbooks and in achieving savings for students; the impact of the project on expanding the use of open textbooks at institutions of higher education outside of the eligible entity; educational resources created or adapted under the grant, including instructions on where the public can access each educational resource under the terms of subsection (g); the impact of the project on instruction and student learning outcomes; and all project costs, including the value of any volunteer labor and institutional capital used for the project. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums as are necessary for each of the 5 fiscal years succeeding the fiscal year during which this Act is enacted.