Affordable Course Materials: Electronic Textbooks and Open Educational Resources

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-196
Author(s):  
Mary Pat Harnegie
Keyword(s):  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Electronic Textbooks ◽  
Course Materials

scholarly journals OER State Policy Playbook, 2020 Edition

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Starr Allen
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
State Policy ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Course Materials

Open educational resources (OER) are textbooks and other course materials that are free for people everywhere to use and repurpose. States and institutions are leveraging OER to expand flexibility for faculty and reduce costs for students by millions each year. This playbook provides a set of ideas that state policymakers can consider to harness the power of OER to tackle textbook costs and make higher education more affordable and effective for all students.

scholarly journals Book Review: Affordable Course Materials: Electronic Textbooks and Open Educational Resources

2018 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 217
Author(s):  
Emma Molls
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Student Needs ◽  
New York University ◽  
Electronic Textbooks ◽  
Course Materials

Editor Chris Diaz opens this book with a boundary-pushing question: “What if I just bought all the textbooks?” The case studies that follow begin with other daring questions, all searching for an answer to the question of how to reduce student costs through affordable course materials. The nine case studies in the book represent universities from across the United States and a global campus (New York University at Shanghai). Each case study presents a different approach to providing affordable course materials, based on the campus context and student needs.

A Comparison of Academic Outcomes in Courses Taught With Open Educational Resources and Publisher Content

2021 ◽  
pp. 0013189X2110525
Author(s):  
Linda Bol ◽  
Monica Christina Esqueda ◽  
Diane Ryan ◽  
Sue C. Kimmel
Keyword(s):  
Student Success ◽  
Course Completion ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Introductory Courses ◽  
Final Exam ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Persistence Rates ◽  
Exam Scores

What difference do open educational resources (OER) make compared with publisher content (non-OER) when costs and instructors remain constant? A total of 215 community college students enrolled in online, introductory courses were randomly assigned to OER or non-OER sections and compared on retention at the tuition drop date, completion with a C or better, course completion, and mean final exam scores. Students in the OER sections were retained and persisted at a statistically significant higher rate, lending credibility to the findings of former studies regarding retention and persistence rates in courses taught with OER materials. No statistically significant differences were found on completion rates or final exam scores. OER course materials should be considered in broader initiatives for student success in community colleges.

Open Source Differential and Integral Calculus Material Development to Support Student Accessibility and Learning

2019 ◽  
pp. 368-373
Author(s):  
Petra Menz ◽  
Nicola Mulberry
Keyword(s):  
Open Source ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Source Material ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Integral Calculus ◽  
Material Development ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
The Social ◽  
Free Material

Educational resources in mathematics are an important aspect of the teaching and learning landscape. Moreover, resources have come a long way from the spoken word with such inventions as paper and the computer to the point where there is now an infrastructure around open educational resources (OER) that has matured into viable alternatives to traditional resources. The newfound prevalence of these materials provides opportunities to customize OER to the specific needs of students and institutions. We designed open source material for the social science strand of differential and integral calculus by adopting an open source textbook and adapting it for our needs. Along with the course notes, we developed lecture notes, student notes based on the Cornell note-taking system, and assignments with solutions. Students are appreciative of free material, but moreover, the cohesiveness and interconnectivity among the various course materials provides for a smoother learning journey through our courses. This paper presents our philosophy, an overview of our open source material, and the operation of both courses.

Leveling the Educational Playing Field

2021 ◽  
pp. 165-190
Author(s):  
Carolyn N. Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Learning Assessment ◽  
College Degree ◽  
Prior Learning ◽  
Academic Assistance ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Additional Information ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Course Material

Many adult learners are looking for an opportunity to finish what they have started and complete a college degree or advance into graduate studies. While the high cost of a college degree is a barrier, there are ways to level the educational playing field through OERs and alternative credit sources. For example, open educational resources (OERs) offer an opportunity to help promote educational equity through free resources. Often, many learners struggle with the high cost of textbooks and other course material needed to be successful in a course. Due to financial constraints, learners are not able to purchase required course materials putting them an academic disadvantage. OERs provide an opportunity to promote student success through free resources. Additionally, OERs are an excellent way to provide supplemental materials for learners needing additional academic assistance. This section provides additional information on open educational Resources (OERS), open degree plans, competency-based education, and prior learning assessment.

scholarly journals Cost, Outcomes, Use, and Perceptions of Open Educational Resources in Psychology: A Narrative Review of the Literature

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Clinton
Keyword(s):  
Cost Savings ◽  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Empirical Examination ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Cost Outcomes

Open educational resources (OER) have been developed to free students from the expense and instructors from the restrictions of commercial materials. There has been a wealth of empirical examination on numerous aspects of OER. The purpose of this narrative review is to synthesize and integrate the findings on OER in psychology to assist instructors in making informed decisions about course materials. Topics in this review were organized according to the Cost, Outcomes, Usage, and Perceptions framework. Results indicated that OER adoption yielded cost savings while generally having similar or better outcomes in terms of grades. Students typically reported similar use and perceptions of OER compared to commercial course materials. Resources for instructors interested in OER are described. Criticisms of OER, such as concerns about quality, are addressed as well as limitations of reviewed research and future directions for research and development of OER.

scholarly journals The Textbook Affordability Puzzle: Perspectives from Three of the Pieces

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katy Miller ◽  
Sara Duff ◽  
Penny Beile
Keyword(s):  
Open Educational Resources ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Final Part ◽  
University Of Central Florida ◽  
Central Florida ◽  
Course Materials ◽  
Strong Emphasis ◽  
Book Collections ◽  
The University ◽  
Associate Director

Many institutions focus textbook affordability efforts through open educational resources, but that isn’t the only option available to provide students with affordable course materials. This paper outlines how the University of Central Florida Libraries successfully leveraged its e-book collections to support textbook affordability efforts. A description of the initiative is provided from three perspectives; an associate director, the textbook affordability librarian, and an acquisitions librarian. Included will be the genesis of the program, methodology used, and how data collected from the initiative were used to gain a new position at the university, a Textbook Affordability Librarian. As part of this initiative, various avenues were developed for faculty outreach and collaboration. Instead of a solo effort, there was a strong emphasis on collaboration with internal and external library partners. The final part of the paper is a discussion of considerations for purchasing materials for use as a course text.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document