Supplemental Materials
Development Certificate
The Supplemental Materials Development Certificate (SMC) is a six-week, cohort-based course for individuals or pairs looking to create ancillary materials grounded in learning science. Through self-paced modules, facilitated live sessions, and peer feedback, participants critically evaluate gaps in their current materials and build accessible, openly licensed resources.
Reconnect with the joy of teaching and learning by creating materials that spark curiosity, foster connection, and support students beyond the textbook.
Discover how to create open, adaptable supplemental course materials that deepen student learning. Engage with an expert facilitator and a community of peers to explore universal design, accessibility, and authentic assessment. Walk away with practical, research-based resources, and fresh inspiration to elevate your teaching and empower student success.
Supplemental Materials Development Certificate
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Assess where learners need support beyond primary course materials and determine how existing open resources can address those gaps
Design an accessible, openly licensed supplemental material grounded in learning science and universal design
Refine your supplemental material through peer feedback and prepare it for repository submission and classroom use
Articulate your professional growth and how you will apply supplemental material development in your ongoing practice
“The assignments were nicely scaffolded and made the entire process of deliverable creation not only manageable, but also pleasurable. Additionally, the live sessions were an utter joy—truly loved connecting with the facilitator and my peers in these contexts. Furthermore, there's a lot of valuable content in the form of links to OER repositories, videos, and more for folks to continually come back to and learn from.”
— 2025 Supplemental Materials Development Certificate Participant
What are Supplemental Materials?
In the sphere of open educational resources (OER), supplemental materials (sometimes called supplementary materials, sometimes called ancillary materials) are teaching materials that support students in conjunction with a primary source such as a textbook or novel. At Rebus, we like to broaden the scope of what supplemental materials can be and accomplish by widening their definition to include any materials that spark students' creativity and critical thinking outside of the conventions of traditional scholarship.
Explore the interactive graphic below to learn more:
Program Sequence
All modules are asynchronous and will be available to participants from the beginning of the course, and participants may work ahead if they wish. Participants are also invited to attend three optional live sessions to gather with other course participants.
Week 1: Course Introduction
Weeks 2 & 3: Authentic Materials
Week 4: Interactive Self-Checks
Week 5: Instructional Activities
Week 6: Instructional Resources & Course Wrap-Up
Supplemental Material Development Certificate Options
Choose between an individual project or a cohort to support multiple projects.
Individual Registration
Participation for 1 individual
Start dates offered in summer
Pricing Per Individual:
$750 USD/CAD
or
Program Cohort
Registration for up to 25 participants
Start dates offered year-round
Pricing Per Cohort:
$25,000 USD/CAD
Featured Project from Supplemental Materials Development Alumni
What do you hope to accomplish with your supplemental material?
“A problem I am looking to solve is how to support students who miss hands-on, time-limited lab sessions and make lab time more organized for everyone. To help students work at their own pace and catch up independently, I created a flow chart with embedded media elements to guide them through the soil testing process. This approach supports authentic assessment by replacing traditional lab reports with student-created videos that document learning and demonstrate real-world application.”
— Jessica Gemella, Vancouver Island University
Let’s Chat!
Take a look at our Programs & Services brochure below to learn more about how we support individuals, teams, organizations and institutions through engaging professional development and expert consulting.
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Rebus Programs & Services Brochure