Create Supplemental Materials for Open Textbooks Using GenAI

Status: open

Through recent funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, BCcampus is actively exploring and experimenting with a variety of open source generative AI (GenAI) tools and technologies that align with open education values. This includes a focus on equity, accessibility, and inclusivity, as well as supporting offline access, reducing environmental impact, and protecting student privacy.

Scope

We are seeking proposals for five $2,000 grants to support the use of GenAI or open GenAI in the development of supplemental open educational resources (OER) aligned with existing open textbooks adopted in British Columbia.

These supplemental OER can be test banks, practice questions, lecture slides, assignment descriptions, study guides, or an invitation to consider other innovative options.

Ethics and GenAI

A key part of this project is applying an ethical lens to GenAI tools in the context of open education. This means learning about how the tools are designed and trained, including what data sets they are trained on, how personal data is collected and used, and what the tools can be used to do. Common concerns include copyright infringement, environmental impact, incorrect and biased outputs, and more.

 As part of this project, grantees will be asked to think critically about the GenAI tools they use and how they use them. We encourage grantees to consider:

  • Open source models and tools: Open source models give you more control over the model itself as well as more control over your personal data. Using true open source models, as opposed to open weight models, you also have more transparency around the models’ training and design. Learn about the difference between open source and open weight models. Some examples of open source models are Mistral, Qwen, and DeepSeek. Examples of open-source AI tools are HuggingFace, Transformer Lab, GPT4ALL, and Keras.
  • Small language models (SLMs): SLMs, which are loosely defined as language models that have fewer than 30 billion (30b) parameters, are a way to use generative AI while limiting your environmental footprint. Since they are smaller than large language models (LLMs), they do not use nearly as many resources. Additionally, they often cost less, have improved latency, and are more easily customizable for your specific needs. For more information on SMLs, read the article “Small Language Models: A Beginner’s Guide“.
  • Offline/local models: Offline or local models refer to downloading models (usually SMLs) onto your personal device and interacting with them using your device’s hardware. Using GenAI locally can reduce your environmental impact, give you access while offline, and give you more control over your personal data. Some tools to interact with models locally include GPT4ALL, LM Studio, and Ollama.

Other GenAI tools not listed above can also be used for this grant. We ask that applicants provide an explanation on why they selected the tool(s) they identified and outline how the tool(s) address various ethical aspects or, if not, their plans for mitigation.

Deliverables and Requirements

Successful grantees will use GenAI tools to create supplementary materials that align with an existing open textbook.

As part of this process, the grantees will:

  • Think critically about the GenAI tools they are using.
  • Document how GenAI was used and prepare an AI disclosure statement to include with the supplemental material.
  • Review all created materials for accuracy, quality, and good learning design.
  • Participate in research by providing a summary of reflections on developing OER with GenAI. Participation in research will require successful proponents to sign a participant consent form.
  • Present at a webinar with other successful grantees to showcase their work.

The final supplemental materials must be:

Proposed Timeline

Timeline for submission:

  1. Submit proposal by April 3, 2026
  2. Grant awarded on April 13, 2026

Timeline for work related to this call for proposals:

  1. Deliverables: May–November 30, 2026
  2. Present at BCcampus webinar: Fall 2026
  3. Research reflection by January 8, 2027

Submissions

Please submit your proposals via email to rdevine@bccampus.ca

Your proposal should include the following:

  • Summary of alignment with scope, deliverables, and timelines
  • Describe the supplemental materials that will be created and the expected impact
  • Reflect on how open education informs your engagement with GenAI as part of this project. Identify the GenAI tool(s) you propose to use and how you intend to use them, reflecting on principles of equity and ethical practice. If there are aspects of the tool(s) that are problematic, how do you propose to mitigate harm?
  • Identify the open textbook the supplemental materials will align with
  • List the B.C. courses where this textbook is already or could be adopted
  • An optional positionality statement
  • Curriculum vitae

Evaluation

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Alignment with scope, deliverables, and timelines
  • Expected impact (for example, number of students impacted, improved student learning, increased likelihood the open textbook is adopted)
  • Ethical use of GenAI
  • Demonstrated understanding of the ethical use of AI and what do we need to consider when it comes to protecting the property and rights of Indigenous people
  • Supports open educational practices in the B.C. post-secondary sector

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement

BCcampus is committed to inclusion. From the workplace to our learning spaces, we value diversity and are actively working to decolonize our organization and the ways in which we collaborate with others. We believe a more diverse team will help us better support the individuals and communities we work with.

We encourage applications from members of groups with historical and/or current barriers to equity, including but not limited to:

  • First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all other Indigenous Peoples
  • Members of groups that commonly experience discrimination due to race, ancestry, colour, religion and/or spiritual beliefs, or place of origin
  • Persons with visible and/or invisible (physical and/or mental) disabilities
  • Persons who identify as women
  • Persons of marginalized sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions

We recognize many of these identities intersect and therefore equity, diversity, and inclusion can be complex. We value the contributions each person brings and are committed to ensuring full and equal participation for all in our community.

For more information, please read the BCcampus EDI Statement and Anti-Racism Statement.

If you have further questions, please email Robynne Devine at rdevine@bccampus.ca.