Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines was selected as one of 66 institutions to participate in the Association of American Colleges and Universities’ 2021-2022 Institute on Open Educational Resources. The inaugural institute began with a two-day virtual kickoff event on July 26. The University of Northern Iowa was the only other Iowa institution selected. Open Educational Resources (OER) include lesson plans, quizzes, syllabuses, instructional modules, simulations, videos, textbooks and more, and are freely available for use, reuse, adaptation and sharing among faculty and students. OERs have shown to be a cost-effective strategy in higher education for both students and institutions, Mercy College said in a press release. “Mercy College’s strategic plan emphasizes redressing potential barriers to student success, and OER is one way to do just that,” said Jennie Ver Steeg, director of library and media services, who also chairs Mercy College’s OER Committee. “We hope this begins a process to integrate OER more fully into our academic programs.” Five Mercy College faculty and staff members are part of the AAC&U institute team.