1. Campus Life
  2. Newsroom
  3. Grants

SPC awarded six-figure grants to fund open education initiatives

LEVELLAND – South Plains College received two grants that will support open educational resource (OER) projects aimed at innovating curricula in welding and respiratory care programs. The Division of Digital Learning at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board awarded $119,950.20 for SPC’s welding project and $110,249.75 for its respiratory care project.

Students, peer reviewers and faculty teams will work together to expand open education in these programs. All developed content will be openly licensed and published in the OERTX Repository, allowing programs across Texas to utilize and adapt the materials.

The welding OER project led by SPC Industrial Technology Department Chair Jimmy Stratton will create open, free instructional content and hands-on lab guides aligned with American Welding Society standards and the Workforce Education Course Manual curriculum. Deliverables, including video tutorials and content integrated into Blackboard Ultra, will also serve dual-credit, technical and continuing education students across Texas.

“OER in welding will allow SPC students and others across Texas to avoid the high cost of textbooks and other costly materials,” Stratton said. “Peer reviews from other welding programs in the state will foster a collaborative effort among Texas faculty to ensure student success.”

Kristal Jones, director of SPC Clinical Education, will lead the respiratory care OER project, transforming RSPT 2239: Advanced Cardiac Life Support into a no-cost, exam-aligned course in line with American Heart Association ACLS certification guidelines, National Board for Respiratory Care credentialing and job placement. The project consists of peer review and collaborative development with Weatherford College.

“This grant offers a valuable opportunity to advance respiratory care education while delivering cost-saving benefits, not only to SPC respiratory care students, but to those at Weatherford College and beyond,” Jones said. “It will reduce their financial burden and equip them with critical, life-saving skills that will directly impact our community.”