By: Carrie Gits, Assistant Commissioner for Student Success and Institutional Partnerships, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
THECB and OER in Texas
In a few months, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) will release its fourth OER Landscape survey report. Since 2019, this report has provided a comprehensive view of how Open Educational Resources (OER) are evolving and expanding across Texas institutions. Preliminary data indicate that in 2025, 63% of institutions report having formal OER policies, programs, or resolutions, up from 38% in 2019. OER use has also broadened substantially, with 37% of institutions now reporting that at least one-quarter of their courses are fully OER-based, compared to just 5% in 2019. Among institutions with OER programs and courses in Texas, it is the two-year public colleges that continue to lead adoption, reflecting their strong focus on affordability and access.
As a state agency, the THECB serves as the steward of Building a Talent Strong Texas, the state’s strategic plan for higher education. The plan emphasizes access to affordable, attainable postsecondary credentials and credentials of value for all Texans. Supporting OER as a statewide initiative aligns with these goals by removing financial barriers to students pursuing postsecondary credentials.
Historical Foundations
At a statewide level, Texas’ commitment to OER began over a decade ago with legislative directives and research. In 2014, the THECB published, A Study on Open Educational Resources and Their Potential for Use at Texas Colleges and Universities following a directive from the 83rd Texas Legislature. This research examined the availability and use of open educational resources in higher education in Texas and included a broad set of recommendations for institutions and the THECB, including:
- Expanding professional development for faculty to support OER adoption and creation.
- Establishing accessibility, licensing, and quality standards for OER developed with state funds.
- Creating policies to encourage OER use and adoption at Texas institutions.
- Developing a statewide digital repository for OER developed with state funds.
This early report also highlighted the successful work and efforts of early adopters and advocates of open education in the state. Combined with subsequent legislation that strengthened OER infrastructure and funding, these efforts laid the foundation for a robust statewide OER ecosystem.
Current Statewide Support
As a resource and partner to institutions across Texas, the THECB uses data and research to guide its strategic approach to supporting OER adoption and development.
Today, we support institutions with OER adoption through multiple initiatives:
- Statewide OER Grant Program, which provides funding for institutions to adopt, adapt, or create OER. Since the first round in 2018, the program has awarded over $679,000 to Texas institutions, impacted more than 26,000 students, and supported the adoption or development of OER for more than 90 courses, saving students an estimated $2.8 million in course material costs.
- Professional Development and OER Fellowship Program, a robust set of freely available offerings designed to build expertise and leadership in open education across the state.
- OERTX Repository, a statewide digital library that enables institutions to share and access OER. Now in its fifth year, OERTX has over 1.4 million users and facilitates access to over 15,000 resources.
In addition, we partner with the open education community to develop high-quality resources for widespread adoption. Examples include the OER Nursing Essentials series and the Digital Design for Student Success program, which supported the development of OER integrated with student success interventions for reading, writing, and math courses.
As the Texas ecosystem matures, the THECB continues to adapt its support to institutions. For example, in 2025, the Coordinating Board released a new grant opportunity to adopt, modify, redesign, or develop courses from the state’s Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM) using only OER, prioritizing programs in high-demand fields.
Building an OER Community
Beyond funding and resources, the THECB invests in capacity building to strengthen collaboration and knowledge sharing across the state. As the OER Fellowship Program reminds us through its vision statement:
“The future of Texas education is open, and we get there together.”
This spirit of collaboration drives our initiatives that empower educators and institutions to embrace open education. Key efforts include:
- The OER in Texas Statewide Playbook, a collaboratively designed resource which aims to support institutions as they work to build capacity and drive systems change around OER. It also serves as a guiding document for institutions that have not yet engaged in OER work or taken advantage of existing programs and opportunities.
- OER Fellowship Program – Mentorship, a key feature of the fellows program is the mentoring component which offers peer-to-peer support, expands networking, and strengthens the OER community in Texas.
- Communities of Practice (CoPs), a new aspect of the OER professional development program. Two communities of practice were designed to support community and institutional engagement with OER; and foster collaboration, build expertise, and contribute to sustainable OER practices across Texas institutions. The two CoPs, one focused on peer review and the other on course marking practices, will begin in 2026.
- OERTX Hubs and Groups, a unique feature of the OERTX repository is the ability to offer community spaces and curated resource hubs and collections. These online spaces foster collaboration and resource sharing from an institutional, topical, or project-based approach.
Together, these initiatives create a vibrant statewide network of educators committed to advancing open education and ensuring that Texas moves toward an open future, together.
Future Directions
The upcoming OER Landscape Survey will provide valuable insights into progress and guide future strategies to ensure that OER remains a cornerstone of affordable, high-quality education in Texas.
Over the next two years, THECB is committed to:
- Expanding funding for OER grant opportunities that support workforce courses in high-demand fields.
- Embedding robust support structures into grant programs to ensure development of high-quality resources for statewide adoption.
- Enhancing infrastructure like OERTX to improve access and usability.
- Advancing research to inform policy and practice.
- Strengthening communities of practice that help sustain open education in the state.
Equally important is measuring impact. THECB is improving data collection through its OER grant program and collaborating with institutions via communities of practice to enhance peer review of resources available via OERTX and strengthen the understanding of OER data collection and course marking practices at institutions. These efforts will help Texas better understand how OER affects student success outcomes, including affordability, persistence, and completion.
Sustaining the Texas OER ecosystem requires ongoing investment, collaboration, and accountability. Continued legislative support and dedicated funding have enabled Texas to build and maintain a robust OER ecosystem. This commitment from policymakers ensures that institutions have the resources needed to innovate and scale OER initiatives statewide.
Carrie Gits serves as the Assistant Commissioner for the Division of Student Success and Institutional Partnerships at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). With more than 20 years of experience in higher education, she leads statewide initiatives focused on student success, access, and affordability. Before joining THECB in 2022, Carrie held roles as an academic librarian and library director across institutions in Illinois, Florida, and Texas. A long-time advocate for open education, she has advanced efforts to expand access to affordable, high-quality learning materials and innovative programs.