Bill > SF824

This bill establishes an Open Educational Resource Council to promote the use of "digital open source resources," which are defined as digital, modular educational materials in formats like XML, designed for broad platform compatibility, and licensed under Creative Commons to allow reuse while crediting the author. These resources must also comply with accessibility standards for individuals with disabilities, similar to federal requirements like Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. The council will be composed of 11 faculty members from various Minnesota higher education institutions, with the Director of the Office of Higher Education serving as a non-voting member to provide administrative support. The council's responsibilities include developing strategies to increase the use of these resources, training faculty, partnering with existing open textbook initiatives, creating a review process to ensure accessibility, and maintaining a website for accessing these materials. The bill also includes an appropriation from the general fund to the Office of Higher Education to support the council's duties and administrative costs, though it clarifies that faculty are not mandated to use these open educational resources.