April 8, 2021

Affordable Learning Georgia recently awarded more than $500,000 to University System of Georgia faculty and instructors to expand access to online educational resources. Award amounts ranged from $2,000 to $30,000. These grants will save students an estimated $1 million in the cost of course materials.

Erick Richman, Columbus State University’s wellness coordinator, has been awarded a $5,000 grant as part of that program to develop a free, open educational resource textbook for the newly created Lifetime Wellness course. 

“This resource will equip our students with the knowledge to discuss their personal health and wellness behaviors in the context of the broader world in which they live,” said Richman. “The textbook will take the form of an interdisciplinary roundtable on health and wellness, weaving together a diversity of faculty perspectives to create a dialogue that attempts to reflect the complexity of human health and well-being.”

As part of the Wellness Program’s initiative to best support CSU students in their personal and professional goals, faculty, staff and students are invited to contribute to the development of the new textbook through a survey that will be distributed by email in the near future. 

“We were thrilled to see so many excellent projects proposed this grant round, especially after what has been a difficult year,” said Lucy Harrison, assistant vice chancellor for academic library services at the University System of Georgia and executive director for GALILEO. “We’re proud to be able to support these faculty as they create new learning opportunities and lower costs for students.”

ALG awarded $507,498 in funding for 39 proposals—on topics including economics, math, management, film and more—from 14 USG institutions. Ten of the projects will expand new, open educational resources across entire departments.

In total, 14,000 students will save an estimated $1 million annually thanks to ALG’s 19th round of grants. To read more about the grantees, visit the ALG site.

An initiative of GALILEO and the University System of Georgia, ALG promotes student success by increasing the availability of affordable alternatives to expensive commercial textbooks. Since its inception, the grant program has awarded more than $6 million.