Call for Peer Reviewers: Open Textbooks Pilot Program (deadline 8/6/18)

Call for Peer Reviewers, Fiscal Year 2018 Grant Competition: Open Textbooks Pilot Program

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, is seeking peer reviewers to read and evaluate discretionary grant applications for the Open Textbooks Pilot program.  This pilot program supports projects at institutions of higher education (IHEs) that create new open textbooks or expand the use of open textbooks while maintaining or improving instruction and student learning outcomes.

The Department is interested in peer reviewers from various backgrounds and professions including: administrators, college and university faculty, educational strategists and evaluators, grant makers, and others with expertise in adult and postsecondary education, open educational resources and practices, work-based learning, and career and technical education.

During August 2018, selected reviewers will be expected to participate in a reviewer training webinar.  Upon participation in the webinar, reviewers will be expected to read 3-5 applications, score each selection criterion, and provide the applicant with substantive feedback pertaining to the score awarded.  Reviewers are expected to meet specific deadlines, and participate in panel discussions with other reviewers who have read and scored the same applications.  The entire process will be handled electronically and travel is not required.  All reviewers who complete the process will be provided an honorarium. 

Reviewers are held to high-standards of writing and the paramount responsibility of preserving the integrity of the review (by omitting or reporting potential bias, or conflicts of interest). Reviewers should be comfortable reading a large volume of material in a defined period of time and be capable of providing in-depth individual analysis, and participating in small group discussions about the applications.

If you are interested in serving as a peer reviewer for this grant competition, send your resume showing your expertise in the areas listed above, as well as any applicable experience reviewing or approving grant applications, to Dr. Stacey Slijepcevic at stacey.slijepcevic@ed.govThe deadline for resumes is August 6, 2018.