The Open Educational Resources (OER) Degree Initiative seeks to boost college access and completion, particularly for underserved students, by engaging faculty in the redesign of courses and degree programs through the replacement of proprietary textbooks with open educational resources. Over the next three years, the Open Educational Resources Degree Initiative will lay the groundwork for nationwide adoption of OER Degrees.

The work of selected colleges and state systems will be supported by a robust technical assistance component that will help faculty and staff re-design courses using open educational resources; opportunities to engage in a community of practice with OER experts, peers, and other resources; and research and evaluation aimed at establishing the impact of open educational resources degrees on institutions and students. The initiative provides a unique support system for colleges and faculty as they adopt a pathways approach to improving teaching and learning and seek to align curriculum and pedagogy with updated student learning outcomes.

Achieving the Dream will oversee and manage the initiative, working in partnership with several national partner organizations and a growing consortium of funders. Partners include Lumen Learning, the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources (CCCOER), and SRI International.