OER Fellowship Program

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The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s (THECB) Division of Digital Learning’s Texas OER Fellowship Program aims to support mentor relationships for OER use, creation, and capacity building at institutions and statewide. THECB Digital Learning staff, experts from the Institute of the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), and select instructors offer coaching and facilitation of the program.

Texas OER Fellowship Vision

The future of Texas education is open, and we get there together.

In July 2024, the program welcomed the Founding Fellows cohort. Founding Fellows were selected based on their considerable demonstrated experience and leadership in open education in Texas. The Founding Fellows collaborated to design and evaluate a program curriculum and essential resources to guide the leadership development of future Texas OER Fellows. They received training from invited experts to develop advocacy and mentorship skills.

OER Fellowship Course

This course was developed by the Founding Fellows during the Summer of 2024 to support mentor relationships for OER use, creation, and capacity building at institutions and statewide. The Founding Fellows collaborated on the design and evaluation of the OER Fellowship program course and essential resources to guide leadership development of future Texas OER Fellows.

Texas OER Fellowship Course
  • Victoria Brame, Joint Use Librarian/Associate Professor, Lone Star College-CyFair
  • Ruth Chisum, Assistant Vice President, Sam Houston State University
  • Maegan Collins, Department Chair General Education and Developmental Studies, Lamar Institute of Technology
  • Sabrina Davis, Open Educational Resources Librarian, Texas Tech University
  • Gabrielle Hernandez, Open Education Librarian, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
  • John Martin, Director of Scholarly Communications, University of North Texas
  • Jennifer Pate, Director of OpenEd, Texas A&M University
  • Nathan Smith, Chair Philosophy Department, Houston Community College
  • Elizabeth Rodriguez, Dean of Innovation & Technology, Laredo College
  • Niki Whiteside, Assistant Vice Chancellor – Instructional Innovation & Support, San Jacinto College
  • Prakash Mansinghani, Professor, Laredo College
  • Isabelle Antes, OER Librarian, Texas State University
  • Kate Carter, OER Librarian, University of Houston
  • Heather Medley, Instructional Designer, South Plains College
  • Dr. Philip Mathew, Program Director/Professor, Weatherford College
  • Dr. Tasha Davis, Professor, Austin Community College
  • Dr. Joan Wakasa Murumba, Information Literacy Librarian – Faculty, Texas A&M International University
  • Dr. Kyle Gullings, Associate Professor, The University of Texas Tyler
  • DeeAnn Ivie, OER Coordinator, The University of Texas San Antonio
  • Patrick Osei-Hwere, Instructor, West Texas A&M University

Throughout the academic year, Year I Fellows:

  • Piloted and provided feedback on the Texas OER Fellowship curriculum
  • Built strong relationships between Mentors and Fellows
  • Created mentorship plans for Year 2 Fellows
  • Developed OER Capstone Projects to advance OER statewide
  • Inspired Texas OER leaders through impactful video storytelling
  • Dr. Flavia Belpoliti, Associate Professor and Program Director, East Texas A&M University
  • Elizabeth Chenette, Reserve Services Coordinator, Associate Librarian, Texas A&M University
  • Dr. Thermajean Jones, Assistant Professor, St. Philip’s College 
  • Dr. Jennifer Miller-Ray, Associate Professor, Sul Ross State University 
  • Dr. Rita Mitra, Professor of Practice, The University of Texas at San Antonio 
  • Dr. Remya Mohanraj, Faculty & OER Coordinator, Houston Community College 
  • Dr. Sandra Mohr, Dean of Digital Learning and Instruction, Angelo State University 
  • Dr. Arturo Ozuna, eLearning Instructional Designer, Tarrant County College 
  • Phebe Raglin, Scholarly Communication Librarian, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi 
  • Dr. Christian Servin, Professor, El Paso Community College 
  • Megan Zara, OER Librarian, The University of Texas at Arlington 

Apply to be a fellow

The application period for the Year 2 Fellows cohorts closed May 31, 2025. Faculty, librarians, staff, and administrators from Texas public and independent institutions of higher education and system offices are eligible to apply. Fellows must agree to attend a two day in-person workshop in Austin, participate in monthly virtual sessions throughout the academic year, and complete a capstone project.

Please contact Carrie Gits, Interim Assistant Commissioner, at DigitalLearning@highered.texas.gov with questions about the Texas OER Fellowship Program.

Texas OER Fellowship Vision

The future of Texas education is open, and we get there together.

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s (THECB) Division of Student Success and Institutional Partnership’s Texas OER Fellowship Program supports mentor relationships for OER use, creation, and capacity building at institutions and statewide. THECB Digital Learning staff, experts from the Institute of the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), and select instructors offer coaching and facilitation of the program.

Apply to be a fellow

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board invites applications from eligible individuals to serve as Year 3 Fellows in the Texas OER Fellowship Program. The Texas OER Fellowship Program supports mentor relationships for OER use, creation, and capacity building at institutions and statewide. After a successful launch of our Founding Fellows and subsequent Year 1 and 2 cohorts, we are excited to open the opportunity for Year 3 OER Fellows. Faculty, librarians, staff, and administrators from Texas public and independent institutions of higher education and system offices are eligible to apply. 
 
The Year 3 Fellows cohort will run from September 2026 – June 2027. Fellows must agree to attend a two day in-person workshop in Austin (September 24 – 25, 2026), participate in monthly virtual sessions throughout the academic year, and complete a capstone project. Fellows will be guided through the online course and will be matched with OER mentor from previous fellowship cohorts.  
 
THECB staff and the Institute of the Study of Knowledge Management in Education will review applications and select the Year 3 Fellows. Successful applications will demonstrate OER experience, involvement in the OER community, an interest in developing leadership skills in open education, and a desire to collaborate with the open education community in Texas. THECB anticipates inviting 10 OER Fellows to participate in this cohort. 

Applicants will upload a resume/CV and answer the following questions: 

  • Describe your open education experience. Include the number and types of OER projects you have contributed to, your role in the project, and/or number of years’ experience. Include discussion on your motivation and inspiration for OER work and desire to become a leader in open education. 
  • Include examples of successful mentorship relationships you have experienced, both as a mentor and a mentee. Describe what made them successful. 
  • Briefly describe any OER networks and communities you support or contribute to in Texas, regionally, or nationally. 
  • Links to projects and/or other works related to your experience with open education. Or tell us more about your motivation to support and lead OER in Texas. 

Applications will be accepted until Friday, May 29, 2026.  

OER Fellowship Program Application Form 

Please contact Liz Tolman, Program Director, with questions about the Texas OER Fellowship Program.

Founding Fellows

In July 2024, the program welcomed the Founding Fellows cohort. Founding Fellows were selected based on their considerable demonstrated experience and leadership in open education in Texas. The Founding Fellows collaborated to design and evaluate a program curriculum and essential resources to guide the leadership development of future Texas OER Fellows. They received training from invited experts to develop advocacy and mentorship skills.

  • Victoria Brame, Joint Use Librarian/Associate Professor, Lone Star College-CyFair
  • Ruth Chisum, Assistant Vice President, Sam Houston State University
  • Maegan Collins, Department Chair General Education and Developmental Studies, Lamar Institute of Technology
  • Sabrina Davis, Open Educational Resources Librarian, Texas Tech University
  • Gabrielle Hernandez, Open Education Librarian, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
  • John Martin, Director of Scholarly Communications, University of North Texas
  • Jennifer Pate, Director of OpenEd, Texas A&M University
  • Nathan Smith, Chair Philosophy Department, Houston City College
  • Elizabeth Rodriguez, Dean of Innovation & Technology, Laredo College
  • Niki Whiteside, Assistant Vice Chancellor – Instructional Innovation & Support, San Jacinto College

Year 1 Cohort

The Year 1 Fellows cohort kicked off during the Open Texas Conference. Throughout the academic year, Year 1 Fellows:

  • Piloted and provided feedback on the Texas OER Fellowship curriculum
  • Built strong relationships between Mentors and Fellows
  • Created mentorship plans for Year 2 Fellows
  • Developed OER Capstone Projects to advance OER statewide
  • Inspired Texas OER leaders through impactful video storytelling
  • Prakash Mansinghani, Professor, Laredo College
  • Isabelle Antes, OER Librarian, Texas State University
  • Kate Carter, OER Librarian, University of Houston
  • Heather Medley, Instructional Designer, South Plains College
  • Dr. Philip Mathew, Program Director/Professor, Weatherford College
  • Dr. Tasha Davis, Professor, Austin Community College
  • Dr. Joan Wakasa Murumba, Information Literacy Librarian – Faculty, Texas A&M International University
  • Dr. Kyle Gullings, Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Tyler
  • DeeAnn Ivie, OER Coordinator, The University of Texas at San Antonio
  • Patrick Osei-Hwere, Instructor, West Texas A&M University

Year 2 Cohort

  • Dr. Flavia Belpoliti, Associate Professor and Program Director, East Texas A&M University
  • Elizabeth Chenette, Reserve Services Coordinator, Associate Librarian, Texas A&M University
  • Dr. Thermajean Jones, Assistant Professor, Alamo District-St. Philip’s College 
  • Dr. Jennifer Miller-Ray, Associate Professor, Sul Ross State University 
  • Dr. Rita Mitra, Professor of Practice, The University of Texas at San Antonio 
  • Dr. Remya Mohanraj, Faculty & OER Coordinator, Houston City College 
  • Dr. Sandra Mohr, Dean of Digital Learning and Instruction, Angelo State University 
  • Dr. Arturo Ozuna, eLearning Instructional Designer, Tarrant County College District
  • Phebe Raglin, Scholarly Communication Librarian, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi 
  • Dr. Christian Servin, Professor, El Paso Community College District
  • Megan Zara, OER Librarian, The University of Texas at Arlington 

Outcome

OER Fellowship Course

Texas OER Fellowship Course

This course was developed by the Founding Fellows during the Summer of 2024 to support mentor relationships for OER use, creation, and capacity building at institutions and statewide. The Founding Fellows collaborated on the design and evaluation of the OER Fellowship program course and essential resources to guide leadership development of future Texas OER Fellows.

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