Dear students, faculty and staff,

Open educational resources are vital to advancing affordability, expanding access and promoting student success across UIC. By reducing or eliminating the cost of course materials while enhancing teaching and learning, these resources empower faculty to create more inclusive, engaging and equitable educational experiences for all students.

The Undergraduate Student Government, in collaboration with the Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and the University Library, is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2026 USG Faculty Open Educational Resources Leadership Award. This annual award recognizes faculty who demonstrate exemplary use of open educational resources in their classrooms and are leaders in using and advocating for open course materials.

Nominations are submitted by colleagues and students, and awardees are selected by a Undergraduate Student Government subcommittee. Each of this year’s awardees received multiple nominations praising their use of open educational resources. The 2026 award recipients are:

• Emily Dosmar, of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, has been widely recognized by her students for replacing a traditional textbook in BME 410 with curated open-access materials, including FDA resources, case studies and multimedia content. Through intentional course design and real-world applications, she has created a more accessible and engaging learning experience that not only reduces financial burden but also prepares students with practical, industry-relevant knowledge they use beyond the classroom. 
• Michael Mills, of the Department of Biological Sciences, has demonstrated outstanding innovation in open educational resources by creating a comprehensive, interactive microbiology textbook that integrates gamified learning, embedded assessments and real-time progress tracking. Paired with OpenStax resources, his materials provide an engaging, accessible and adaptable learning environment that supports diverse learning styles and deepens student understanding, all while eliminating the need for costly traditional textbooks.
• Anthony Woldeit, of the Department of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, has transformed gateway mathematics education by developing a fully open educational resource-based course model for Math 108, replacing costly textbooks and homework platforms with instructor-created workbooks, videos and MyOpenMath. Serving hundreds of students each semester, his classroom approach promotes active learning while ensuring all students have immediate, no-cost access to course materials, contributing to improved pass rates and significantly reducing barriers to student success.

Please join us in congratulating the 2026 awardees. We also wish to thank the nominators and the Undergraduate Student Government Faculty Open Educational Resources Leadership Subcommittee for their commitment to this impactful program.

Sincerely,

Karen J. Colley
Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

Rhea Ballard-Thrower
University Librarian and Dean of Libraries

Nathan Thokkudubiyyapu
President, Undergraduate Student Government

For more information, please contact:
Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
provost@uic.edu