As used in this article 4.5, unless the context
otherwise requires:
(1) Commission means the Colorado commission on higher education
created in section 23-1-102.
(2) Council means the Colorado open educational resources council
created in section 23-4.5-103.
(3) Department means the department of higher education created in
section 24-1-114.
(4) Executive director means the executive director of the department of
higher education.
(5) Grant program means the open educational resources grant program
created in section 23-4.5-104.
(6) Open educational resources means high-quality teaching, learning, and
research resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under an
intellectual property license that permits free use and repurposing by others. Open
educational resources may include full courses, course materials, modules,
textbooks, faculty-created content, streaming videos, exams, software, and other
tools, materials, or techniques used to support access to knowledge.
(7) Public institution of higher education means the state institutions of
higher education, as defined in section 23-18-102 (10)(a), the local district colleges,
and the area technical colleges.
(8) Zero-textbook-cost degree program means a postsecondary credential
or degree program that does not require a student to pay textbook costs but
requires the student to use only open educational resources or other resources that
are entirely free to the student.
Source: L. 2018: Entire article added, (HB 18-1331), ch. 186, p. 1253, � 1,
effective April 30. L. 2021: (6) amended and (8) added, (SB 21-215), ch. 97, p. 387, �
2, effective May 5.
23-4.5-103. Colorado open educational resources council - created - duties
- report. (1) There is created in the department of higher education the Colorado
open educational resources council, which is composed of the following members:
(a) Twelve persons from public institutions of higher education appointed by
the executive director as follows:
(I) Five faculty members;
(II) Three library professionals;
(III) One person enrolled as a student at a public institution of higher
education;
(IV) One instructional design expert;
(V) One informational technology expert; and
(VI) One administrator;
(b) The executive director of the department, or his or her designee;
(c) The commissioner of education appointed pursuant to section 1 (2) of
article IX of the state constitution, or his or her designee; and
(d) The person executing the duties of the state librarian, if different from
the commissioner of education as provided in section 24-90-104, or his or her
designee.
(2) (a) The term of service for the appointed members of the council is three
years. The executive director may appoint the same person to serve multiple,
consecutive terms.
(b) The executive director shall appoint the members of the council by July 1,
2018, taking into account any nominations received from the public institutions of
higher education. In appointing the members of the council, the executive director
shall ensure that the council includes at least three representatives from two-year
public institutions of higher education and at least three representatives from four-year public institutions of higher education, including research universities. To the
extent practicable, the executive director shall appoint persons from areas
throughout the state who are representative of the demographics of the state.
(3) The executive director shall convene the first meeting of the council as
soon as practicable after the council members are appointed, but no later than
August 30, 2018. At the first meeting and annually thereafter, the council members
shall select a member to serve as chair of the council and a member to serve as
vice-chair of the council. The council shall meet as often as necessary at the call of
the chair to complete its duties.
(4) The members of the council serve without compensation but may be
reimbursed for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in serving on the
council, as determined by the department. The department shall provide staff and
resources to support the council in completing its duties and to assist the public
institutions of higher education throughout the state in developing and expanding
the use of open educational resources. In exercising its duties, the council may
consult with persons who represent institutions of higher education that are not
represented on the council and with other persons who have expertise that is
helpful to the council.
(5) The council has the following duties:
(a) To recommend to the commission statewide policies for promoting
adaptation, creation, and use of open educational resources at public institutions of
higher education across the state;
(b) To facilitate professional development and the sharing of knowledge
concerning creating and using open educational resources for public institutions of
higher education, faculty, staff, and students, which may include:
(I) Developing informational materials about open educational resources to
distribute to public institutions of higher education across the state for use and
adaptation as appropriate;
(II) Creating and maintaining a website to link to the materials that the
council develops, other open educational resources, and any existing institutional
open educational resources databases; and
(III) Convening regular meetings, which may include convening open
educational resources interest groups to share information and ideas, including
through meetings, workshops, conferences, webinars, and an annual open
educational resources conference for higher education faculty, instructional
designers, librarians, campus administrators, secondary educators who teach
concurrent enrollment courses, and other relevant staff;
(c) To implement the open educational resources grant program created in
section 23-4.5-104 and ensure that faculty and students at public institutions of
higher education across the state can easily identify and access the open
educational resources developed using grant money;
(d) To advise the department concerning allocation of the money
appropriated for the purposes of this article 4.5 to pay the costs of the grant
program, convening interest groups, and providing staff support; and
(e) To work with the department to prepare an annual report concerning the
use of open educational resources at the public institutions of higher education in
the state, as described in section 23-1-134 (3).
(6) The general assembly may annually appropriate to the department such
amount as it deems appropriate for the purposes specified in this article 4.5,
including the grant program. Any unexpended and unencumbered money from an
appropriation made for the purposes of this article 4.5 remains available for
expenditure by the department for the purposes of this article 4.5 in the next fiscal
year without further appropriation.
Source: L. 2018: Entire article added, (HB 18-1331), ch. 186, p. 1253, � 1,
effective April 30. L. 2021: (4) and (5)(e) amended, (SB 21-215), ch. 97, p. 388, � 3,
effective May 5. L. 2024: (5)(e) amended, (SB 24-135), ch. 34, p. 111, � 14, effective
March 22.