CO SB258

Creates an Open Educational Resources Council within the Department of Higher Education comprised of 10 appointed members from public institutions (four faculty, three librarians, one instructional design expert, one IT expert, one administrator) plus representatives from the Department of Higher Education, Department of Education, and State Library.

Requires the council to evaluate current use of open educational resources at Colorado public institutions of higher education and recommend initiatives by November 20, 2017, such as identifying OER materials for core general education courses, developing grant programs for faculty adoption, and sharing resources across institutions.

Directs the Department of Higher Education to contract with an external entity by August 1, 2017, to review and evaluate the extent of open educational resource use and obstacles to expansion, with report due October 20, 2017.

Appropriates $25,000 to the Department of Higher Education for the 2017-18 fiscal year to fund the council operations and contracted study of open educational resource use.

Repeals the statutory provision effective July 1, 2018, making this a temporary initiative with a defined sunset date.