PORTALES, N.M. — Eastern New Mexico University (ENMU) continues its commitment to student affordability and academic success through its participation in the New Mexico Open Educational Resources (NMOER) Consortium. The initiative is expanding following a $1.55 million federal Open Textbook Pilot grant awarded to the University of New Mexico, which administers the multi-institution program.

The NMOER Consortium—which includes ENMU, Central New Mexico Community College, Northern New Mexico College, Santa Fe Community College, Southeast New Mexico College, and The University of New Mexico—aims to help faculty adopt, adapt, and create open-access instructional materials.

Building on initial success between 2024 and 2026 that served more than 15,000 students statewide and generated over $1.86 million in textbook savings, Phase II of the initiative scales up OER adoption in rural areas and works to grow the consortium to seven institutions by 2028.

Laura Wight, ENMU’s principal investigator for the project, emphasized the direct benefits for campus learners and instructors.

"Grant funds will enable us to support up to 12 faculty in publishing open access textbooks and course materials through their work at ENMU," Laura Wight, ENMU's principal investigator for the project said.  "Students also benefit from reduced textbooks costs and course materials accessible online at their fingertips.  It’s a win-win."

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research materials in the public domain or released under an open license that allows free access, use, adaptation, and redistribution. OER has been recognized as a high-impact practice by the American Association of Colleges and Universities to improve student retention, timely degree completion, and learning outcomes.

Through the consortium, ENMU faculty can access professional development communities of practice, workshops, mini-grants, and publishing support through UNM Press to develop open materials for core courses. The expanded program also incorporates educational webinars on artificial intelligence to build pedagogical skills, as well as oversight by a Workforce Advisory Board to align materials with New Mexico's career readiness needs.

For more information about the NMOER Consortium and open educational resources, visit nmoer.org.

For more information, contact:

Laura Wight
Eastern New Mexico University
575.562.2626
[email protected]