Call for Nominations: Illinois Open Educator Award

Call for Nominations: Illinois Open Educator Award

Call for Nominations: Illinois Open Educator Award 

The CARLI OER Committee is pleased to invite nominations for an Illinois Open Educator Award, recognizing outstanding higher education faculty and staff who demonstrate innovation and excellence in the use, creation, and advocacy of Open Educational Resources (OER). 

This award celebrates educators and library staff who have been key players in the creation and adoption of OER, which reduces costs for students and makes higher education more equitable and accessible.

Eligibility 

Nominees must be current faculty (full-time or part-time) or staff at a CARLI member institution who have: 

  • Adopted or adapted OER in their courses, and/or 
  • Created original openly licensed instructional materials, and/or 
  • Demonstrated leadership in promoting OER at their institution or beyond 

Selection Criteria 

Nominees will be evaluated based on: 

  • Impact on Students: Evidence of improved access, affordability, and/or learning outcomes 
  • Innovation: Creative or effective use of OER, including open pedagogy practices 
  • Equity and Inclusion: Efforts to ensure materials are accessible, inclusive, and culturally responsive 
  • Leadership and Advocacy: Contributions to advancing OER awareness and adoption among colleagues 

Nomination Process 

Nominations may be submitted by colleagues, administrators, or self-nominations. A complete nomination should include: 

  • Submission of nomination form describing the nominee’s contributions 
  • Supporting materials (optional), such as links to a faculty website, published OER, student feedback, or evidence of impact 
  • If self-nominating, please submit a letter of support from an outside party who can speak to the OER work of the nominee(s)to support@carli.illinois.edu

Award Recognition 

The recipient will be recognized during the CARLI Annual Meeting and featured in statewide OER communications. The award highlights the recipient’s contributions as a leader in open education in Illinois. 

Submission Details 

  • Deadline: September 28, 2026 

We encourage nominations that reflect the diversity of Illinois higher education faculty and the students they serve. Help us recognize educators and librarians who are transforming teaching and learning through open education. 

Illinois Open Educator 2026 Nomination Template  

Use this document as a guide for organizing a nomination for the Illinois Open Educator Award. This template is meant to draft your nomination so you can readily copy/paste the information to the online form.  

  • Please review the Nomination Guidelines. All nominations must be submitted via this online form. If you have any questions, please contact us at support@carli.illinois.edu 

About You, the Nominator 

Your contact information will only be used to update you on the progress of your nomination and/or to ask follow-up questions. 

Nominator Full Name (required) 

Nominator Email Address (required) 

Nominator Institution / Affiliation (required) 

Award Nomination 

Please provide all the information below to nominate a person for the Illinois Open Educator Award.  

 

Full Name of Nominee(s) (required) 

Enter the full name and academic titles of the individual(s) being nominated for an award. 

Email Address of Nominee(s) (required) 

Nominee(s)’s Institution(s) / Affiliation(s) (required) 

Top Reason to Give This Nomination an Award (required) 

Write a concise, strong, persuasive rationale on why this nominee(s) deserves the Illinois Open Educator Award. Your response should answer, "The top reason this nomination deserves to be recognized with a 2026 Illinois Open Educator Award is..." (500 character limit). 

Please provide a more detailed explanation for the nomination. (required) 

Provide a summary of the individual being nominated, highlighting how their work has advanced student learning and contributed to the open education movement. For example: 

  • Describe the extent to which they use OER across their courses, including whether materials serve as primary or supplemental resources. 
  • Explain how OER enhances their teaching and student learning, including any instructional strategies or evidence of impact.  
  • Describe the impact of their OER work, including any commercial textbooks replaced, the number of students affected, cost savings to students, and how OER adoption improves access and affordability. 
  • Explain how the nominee promotes OER awareness or adoption beyond their own courses (e.g., mentoring, collaboration, presentations). 

This explanation should be limited to 3-5 paragraphs. (5000 character limit) 

Relevant Web Links 

Add up to three web addresses that support this nomination. These should be links that the review committee can use to evaluate your nomination (e.g. faculty website, sample OER, student feedback, or evidence of impact). 

Notification Preference 

When people are notified by email that they were nominated for an Illinois Open Educator Award, can we include that this nomination came from you and share your name? 

  • Yes, I would like to let them know I submitted this nomination 
  • No, I prefer to be anonymous 
  • Not necessary, I nominated myself! 

Illinois OER Educator Award: Evaluation Rubric 

Submissions will be reviewed by a subcommittee of the CARLI OER Committee. All nominations will be notified they were nominated for the award, and all awardees will be notified of their selection. 

Scoring Scale (applies to all criteria): 

1 = Limited Evidence 

2 = Developing 

3 = Proficient 

4 = Strong 

5 = Exceptional 

1. Impact on Students 

  • Reduces cost barriers and improves access to course materials 
  • Demonstrates evidence of improved student outcomes, engagement, or retention 
  • Includes student feedback or data where available 

2. Innovation in OER Use 

  • Creative adoption, adaptation, or creation of OER 
  • Incorporates open pedagogy or student co-creation where appropriate 
  • Aligns materials effectively with course outcomes 

3. Equity & Inclusion 

  • Materials are accessible (e.g., ADA/WCAG-informed) 
  • Content reflects diverse perspectives and inclusive practices 
  • Intentionally supports underserved or disproportionately impacted students 

4. Leadership & Advocacy 

  • Promotes OER adoption among colleagues or within the institution 
  • Leads workshops, initiatives, or collaboratives 
  • Contributes to broader OER communities (statewide or beyond)