Introduction

Welcome to the Affordable Course Content Award (ACCA) program! We are delighted that you have decided to embark on the grand adventure that is creating an open educational resource for your students. This guide will provide you with the foundational knowledge and resources that you’ll need to navigate this process.

This Author’s Guide has seven sections:

1. An overview of the ACCA program, including expectations for authors and for library service and support
2. A crash course on OER that covers what they are, their benefits and challenges, and the basics of publishing, copyright, and open licensing
3. Information and resources to help you plan your project
4. Information and resources to support you in the authoring of your resource
5. Information about how to finalize your OER and prepare it for publishing
6. An overview of the final steps of the ACCA program, including implementation, assessment, and project closeout
7. An easy-access list of all the resources mentioned in this guide, plus some additional reading if you’d like to explore topics related to open education in a more in-depth way

This guide should serve as a reference for you throughout your ACCA project, although it is by no means comprehensive. If you have questions that are not answered in this guide, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Open Educational Resources Librarian.