Memorandum of Understanding template
Memorandum of Understanding Template
Memorandum of Understanding for RCL Open Education Grant Program
[TITLE OF PROJECT]
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)[1] between
[PERSON-FULL NAME] (grant recipient)
and
University of Rochester River Campus Libraries
This is an agreement between [PERSON-Last Name, or as referenced in document] and River Campus Libraries (RCL).
I. Purpose and Scope
The purpose of this MOU is to clearly identify the roles and responsibilities of each party as they relate to the funded project. This also serves as a planning document for the project.
II. Definitions
Open Educational Resources (OER) – OER are teaching and learning materials that are free of cost for the end-user and openly shared, usually using a Creative Commons license (or equivalent), so they can be reused and adapted by others without costs or seeking additional permissions. Any license that does not allow derivatives is not considered an OER, such as a CC-ND license.
Open Pedagogy (OP) – Open pedagogy is the high-impact practice of engaging students in information creation, often through the development of OER. Students engaged in open pedagogy gain a greater understanding of the rights and responsibilities associated with information ownership. Practitioners of open pedagogy embrace collaboration, student agency, and authentic audiences while recognizing the differences in privilege and progress that impact how students balance sharing with the need for privacy. [2]
UR Research – UR Research is the institutional repository for the University of Rochester. It is maintained by River Campus Libraries staff. URL: https://urresearch.rochester.edu/home.action
III. Background
In June 2021 RCL launched the RCL Open Education Grant Program, which provides up to $4,000 in grant funding to support projects at the University of Rochester that advance the practice of open education. [PERSON] was selected as a grant recipient for the 2021 award year. The successful application is included as Addendum 1.
The OER or OP practices resulting from this project will be used in [COURSE] beginning in the [SEASON] semester of [YEAR].
IV. Funding Distribution
The funding request was approved in the amount of $[AMOUNT]. The first payment, in the amount of $[AMOUNT], will be processed and a check made out to [PERSON, FULL NAME] within five to ten business days of the date the MOU is signed by both parties. The second payment of the remaining amount will be transferred within five to ten business days following RCL receipt and review of deliverables and a final project report. Reports are expected to be submitted within one month following the end of the implementation semester.
V. [PERSON]’s Responsibilities under this MOU
Timeline: Complete planned activities and deliverables according to the timeline presented in Addendum 1: Application and Addendum 2: Timeline & Milestones.
Accessibility: Ensure OER are of high quality and meet accessibility standards as defined in Section VIII. Any remediation required to bring resources up to standards is the responsibility of the grant recipient. RCL advises all awardees to consider accessibility at the beginning of the project.
Copyright: Consult with RCL on the use of any intellectual property that is not owned by the grant recipient, shared under a Creative Commons license that allows for reuse, in the public domain, etc. Determining ownership of third-party content is ultimately the responsibility of the grant recipient. Documentation demonstrating fair use and/or permissions for third-party content included in the OER shall be submitted with the deliverables.
Editing Your Work: Provide copy editing and proofreading of any textual OER to ensure grammatical and spelling accuracy, clarity, and consistency.
Sharing Your Work: Allow RCL to deposit OER resulting from the grant in the UR Research. All deliverables must be received by RCL prior to the distribution of the second funding transfer. OER deliverables must include the original, editable files for reuse, revision, remixing, redistribution and retention by others.
Final Report: Submit a final project report summarizing the challenges and accomplishments of the project and its impact on any or all of the following:
your teaching
student performance
cost savings
universal access
internal or external learning communities.
The report shall include any data that assists in measuring the impact of the project. This report is due within one month following the implementation semester.
Dissemination: Share experiences working on the project with RCL and allow the dissemination of those observations by RCL through a variety of communication channels.
Acknowledgement: Acknowledge that full or partial support came from the RCL Open Education Grant Program administered by River Campus Libraries in any publication or presentation about the project.
VI. Libraries’ Responsibilities under this MOU
Payments: Disburse grant funds as established in this MOU. (Sharon Briggs, Head of Acquisitions)
Project Management: The designated member of the OER working group will check in with the lead grant recipient, based on the project timeline and associated milestones. (OER Working Group)
UR Research: Deposit materials resulting from the grant to UR Research. (OER Working Group)
Copyright Questions: We are not lawyers and cannot offer legal advice. However, we can offer consultations regarding intellectual property and reuse of third-party content. (OER Working Group, Moriana Garcia)
Accessibility Evaluations: Provide an accessibility evaluation of OER prior to the close of the project with explicit recommendations for any elements requiring remediation. A draft of the rubric for this evaluation is included as Addendum 3: Accessibility Rubric. Any changes made to the document will be emailed to the grant recipient and incorporated into this MOU. (OER Working Group)
Dissemination: Publicize the progress of grant recipients and maintain a public record of funded projects on RCL’s website. (OER Working Group)
Questions from Grantees: Promptly respond to questions and concerns submitted by the grant recipient. (OER Working Group)
Additional Resources: Direct grant recipients to additional resources that may assist in resolving challenges encountered during the project period. (OER Working Group)
VII. Contingencies
Both parties recognize that deadlines are critical to the project’s success. However, both parties recognize that missed deadlines may occur. If either party misses a previously agreed upon deadline, then the other party has the option to extend the timeline. A mutually agreed upon adjusted timeline will replace Addendum 2: Timeline and Milestones.
VIII. Accessibility
All OER, including those in the form of multimedia, such as videos or audio, must be compliant with accessibility standards and include a transcript and, preferably, closed captioning. [PERSON] should consult the BC Open Textbook Accessibility Toolkit for additional information about ensuring accessibility of other OER components, including for images, tables, and hyperlinks. The rubric to be used in evaluating accessibility of the OER is included as Addendum 3: Accessibility Rubric.
IX. Copyright
Educational resources resulting from the grant must be licensed under an open license that allows others to use, distribute, and create derivative works from the content without first seeking permission, such as the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Entire resources may not be licensed with a Creative Commons No Derivatives clause.
X. Additional Resources
The global OER community has created a number of resources to assist in the OER authoring process, such as BC Open Textbook Authoring Guide, Authoring Open Textbooks, Modifying an Open Textbook: What You Need to Know, and BC Open Textbook Accessibility Toolkit.
For OP resources, see Open Pedagogy Roadmap and Open Pedagogy Approaches: Faculty, Library, and Student Collaborations.
Contact rclopenedgrant@library.rochester.edu with any additional questions concerning resources.
XI. Effective Date and Signature
This MOU shall be effective upon the signature of Parties A and B authorized officials. It shall be in force from [DATE] to [DATE].
[PERSON] and RCL indicate agreement with this MOU by their signatures.
_________________________
[PERSON, FULL NAME]
[OER Working Group Representative]
_________________________
Date
_________________________
[PERSON, FULL NAME]
[TITLE]
_________________________
Date
