Teaching Note—Adopting, Adapting, and Creating Open Textbooks: A Brief Guide for Faculty

This case study describes the library’s experience of collaborating with an undergraduate Psychology Department at Touro College to integrate open textbooks into their program. We discuss the pedagogical changes as well as explore the impact of Open Educational Resources (OER) on students’ savings, their academic outcomes and perceptions of OER. Furthermore, we highlight the successes and shortcomings in having the library as a central OER partner. To measure the results, we surveyed students and conducted a faculty survey and a focus group, in addition to analyzing the students’ final grades. This pilot program delivered strong results. The students’ perception was very positive, and faculty’s opinions on the textbooks used were mixed. Some professors felt that the textbook lacked important content, but because of its openness, they added their own content to the book. Students enrolled in OER courses performed better than those enrolled in the same courses using a commercial textbook.

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A Digital Ecosystem for the Collaborative Production of Open Textbooks: The LATIn Methodology [Abstract only]

10.28945/1864 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Ismar Frango Silveira

Keyword(s):

Digital Ecosystem ◽

Open Textbooks

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The use of a publishing platform to facilitate the adaptation and development of Open Textbooks: A Pilot Report

10.14742/ascilite2021.0151 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Kate Nixon ◽

Katya Henry

Keyword(s):

Academic Staff ◽

Open Educational Resources ◽

Student Feedback ◽

Educational Resources ◽

Proof Of Concept ◽

Learning And Teaching ◽

Perceived Benefit ◽

Course Material ◽

Open Textbooks ◽

Specific Unit

After a successful proof of concept to expand the university’s commitment to Open Educational Resources (OER), a pilot program was launched to facilitate the adaptation and development of Open Textbooks by academic staff for students as well as broader audiences. The pilot involved the use of the publishing platform Pressbooks as a mechanism to raise awareness of Open Educational Resources, and to provide a university-supported tool with which to develop Open Textbooks. Commencing in Semester 2, 2020, participants in the pilot received vendor training from Pressbooks, as well as support from learning and teaching and library staff. Pilot participants used the Pressbooks platform in a number of ways. Academics created textbooks as course material in a single unit, academics adapted open textbooks for Australian contexts over a number of units, and academics created open textbooks based on their research and not for a specific unit of study. Of the 13 pilot participants, five open textbooks were created, with one still in development. Responses to the pilot were mixed. Student feedback on the use of Pressbooks indicates that they enjoyed the structured and easy-to-read course material. Other students expressed frustration with the higher workload expectations of consuming material online prior to participating in synchronous classes. Students appreciated the zero cost of engaging with an open textbook. Academic feedback was also mixed, with some appreciating the flexibility and engagement that they can achieve in Pressbooks. Others were discouraged by the amount of time spent on creating material for little perceived benefit. The majority of academic staff who developed a textbook using Pressbooks would like to continue to use the platform.

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New Features of Open Textbook for Integrative STEMx Education

Metasystems Learning Design of Open Textbooks - Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design ◽

10.4018/978-1-5225-5305-2.ch006 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 142-168

Keyword(s):

Learning Strategies ◽

Scientific Literacy ◽

Michigan State University ◽

State University ◽

Scientific Content ◽

Perceived Need ◽

Unique Experience ◽

Global Skills ◽

And Mathematics ◽

Open Textbooks

Over the last 10 years it was observed that scientific literacy has two orientations: (1) scientific content is presented to be used later for anything and (2) scientific content is presented to be used in life. According to data provided by the Michigan State University, STEM (i.e., science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) occupations are growing at nearly two times the rate of the non-STEM jobs. In addition, many fields are seeking employers with STEM-related skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking, and technical abilities. Thus, as STEM has progressively expanded, there is a perceived need for new focused on high-demand jobs in scientific literacy. For open textbooks to be a unique experience in STEM education, it is important to design new features. This chapter explores the open textbook area for integrative STEMx education. It considers how open textbooks can provide students a unique way forward to learn about learning strategies and to develop global skills on-demand. The conclusion is provided at the end.

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Open to Open? An Exploration of Textbook Preferences and Strategies to Offset Textbook Costs for Online Versus On-Campus Students

The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning ◽

10.19173/irrodl.v20i5.4141 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

pp. 40-60 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Talea Anderson ◽

Carrie Cuttler

Keyword(s):

Student Perceptions ◽

Future Research ◽

Control Group ◽

University Campuses ◽

Course Materials ◽

Within Subjects ◽

Psychology Courses ◽

Willingness To Use ◽

The Cost ◽

Open Textbooks

As open textbook initiatives are on the rise, a burgeoning literature has begun exploring student perceptions of openly licensed textbooks used in higher education. Most of this research has lacked consideration of potential differences in the perceptions of online and on-campus students and has failed to include a control group of students using traditional textbooks. Therefore, the authors employed a 2 x 2 design to directly compare perceptions of online students with on-campus students assigned either open or traditional textbooks. Students (N = 925) enrolled in multiple sections of psychology courses at a midsized R1 institution completed a survey on their perceptions of their particular book’s format and features, as well as strategies they typically employ to offset the cost of expensive course materials. The results revealed that online and on-campus students report disparate strategies for offsetting the high costs of textbooks, different preferences in textbook formats (print versus digital versus both) when cost is not a factor, and differences in their ratings of the importance of various textbook features. Moreover, the results indicate that the use of open textbooks may increase preference for free digital textbooks over paid printed textbooks. Based on these results, the authors suggest that campuses might consider providing customized support to different student populations as open textbook initiatives gain in popularity on university campuses. Additionally, they suggest that prior exposure to open textbooks may increase students’ willingness to use openly licensed materials in future courses. They recommend future research on this question, using a longitudinal within-subjects designs.

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