Championing OER transformation on campus at the University of Delaware

The University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press partnered with Sylla to pilot new tools that could help the university expand its use of OER, improve affordability around course materials for students, and empower their staff to continue to lead this change.

With the emergence of powerful new technologies, we set out to explore how these innovations could be leveraged to better connect OER across the institution. Our goal was to investigate how smarter use of data, tools, and techniques could enhance cross-campus collaboration and improve student affordability.

Guided by this vision, the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press and Sylla partnered to evaluate how the latest tools and approaches could support their mission to improve student access, affordability, and academic success.

highlights from this case study:

• Assigned Reading Analysis: By looking at bookstore data, we generated a comprehensive map of commercial textbooks used across campus. This baseline helped us understand what’s in use today, and identify opportunities where affordable alternatives might be desireable.
  

• OER Alignment at Scale: Sylla’s AI-driven recommendation engine cross-referenced existing resources with high-quality OER alternatives. From there, we were able to present OER recommendations for the full set as well as for entire degree programmes, courses, textbooks or individual chapters.
  

• Strategic overview: This effort helped put their team back in the driver’s seat—equipped with better data, strategic insights and fitting workflows, providing a 360 overview of OER potential across campus.
  

• Facilitating Collaboration: With this overview in place, paired with scaleable workflows, their team were able to strategically engage with faculty, instructional designers and other stakeholders around OER opportunities. Ultimately coming together around a shared commitment to improve affordability and supporting students around their academic needs.

Building on the success of the pilot, the University of Delaware Library, Museums and Press and Sylla are now taking next steps. The ambition is clear: to lead a strategic OER transformation, improve student access and affordability, and align open education with the university’s broader mission.

Read the full case study here

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