MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching www.merlot.org) has partnered with the leadership at Southern University (Moustapha Diack) and Tennessee State University (Robbie Melton) to support an expanding community of HBCUs developing and implementing their campus-centric Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) initiatives. With funding from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, we are strengthening the organizational infrastructure of the HBCU community to grow the successful adoption of AL$ to all the HBCUs who wish to participate. The HBCU AL$ community will be sharing our resources and exemplary practices as well as conducting research on how best to serve the needs of the HBCUs in making higher education more affordable by reducing the cost of course materials. A critical goal of this project is to also facilitate the sharing of Open Educational Resources (OER) developed by HBCUs for their own academic programs. Building a collection of culturally inclusive curriculum that is free and open for teaching and learning will benefit our diverse students.

Current HBCU Campuses with Affordable Learning Solutions Programs

• Bethune Cookman University: www.becool4ed.org
• Central State University: www.centralstateopenlearning.org
• Dillard University: www.bleu4ed.org
• Fort Valley State University: www.fvsuol4ed.org
• Fisk University: fuas.fisk.edu
• Johnson C. Smith University:  www.jcsu4ed.org
• Southern University System: www.suol4ed.org
• Tennessee State University: tsu-excel4ed.org
• Virtual University of Senegal: www.bon4ed.uvs.sn/
• Xavier University of Louisiana: xula4ed.org

The HBCU Affordable Learning Program has established a leadership team to develop the:

• Mission, Goals, and Strategy for the Program
• Principles for Community Building
• Resources to Support the Program

Membership in the Leadership team includes leading at least one taskforce that focuses on a key process for the programs' success.

Marketing, money, and recruitment for expanding HBCU AL$ Community
Co-Chairs: Melton & Diack

Discipline-specific AL$ strategies for engaging faculty
Co-Chairs: McSwain & Medastin

Research & exemplary practices: Conducting projects and reporting results
Co-Chairs: Tracy & Barley

Emerging and existing technologies to advance HBCU AL$ mission
Co-Chairs- Melton & Malloy

Global engagement of HBCU AL$ mission and projects
Co-Chairs – Diack & Diop

Professional development for faculty, administrators, and staff for designing and implementing their local AL$ program
Chair – Lewis & McSwain

Diversity, Equity, Inclusiveness: Developing and implementing strategies serve diverse populations to achieve equitable outcomes through inclusive processes
Chairs – Melton & Nichols

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