They didn’t receive a shiny statue like at the Academy Awards, but for the 27 UMass Lowell faculty members recently honored at the university’s first “OERscars” ceremony, the thanks from students was even more rewarding. Organized by students from the university’s MASSPIRG chapter and Student Government Association (SGA), the virtual OERscars event recognized UML faculty who use free or low-cost digital textbooks and open educational resources (OERs) in their courses. OERs are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium — digital or otherwise — that are in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access.
