Abstract
<p>This paper presents the results of collaborative research between OpenStax College, who have published 16 open textbooks to date, and the OER Research Hub, a Hewlett funded open research project examining the impact of open educational resources (OER) on learning and teaching. The paper focuses primarily on the results of two surveys that were conducted with educators during 2013 and 2014/2015. These surveys focused on use and perceptions of OER and OpenStax College materials, financial savings and perceptions of impact on both educators and students. This paper reports on the research findings related to the impact of OER on educator practice and make a series of specific recommendations based on these findings. </p>
Highlights
The high price of textbooks, which have increased in cost by more than fifteen times since the 1970s, and the impact on students in both the USA and elsewhere, is well documented (e.g. Senack, 2014 & 2015)
In some USA states, such as California, the cost of textbooks is reportedly higher than the cost of tuition.ii As a result of the high cost of textbooks, 7 in 10 students surveyed by the USA’s Public Research Interest Group (PIRG) in early 2011 reported at least one occasion where they had not bought a textbook for a course; and those that did choose to buy proprietary
At a national level in the United States, SPARC and others campaigned for the Affordable College Textbooks Act that went before Congress in October 2015 and if successful will increase the amount of open educational resources (OER) used in educational institutions across the USA
Summary
The high price of textbooks, which have increased in cost by more than fifteen times since the 1970s, and the impact on students in both the USA and elsewhere, is well documented (e.g. Senack, 2014 & 2015). At a national level in the United States, SPARC (see http://www.sparc.arl.org) and others campaigned for the Affordable College Textbooks Act that went before Congress in October 2015 and if successful will increase the amount of OER used in educational institutions across the USA (see: http://www.sparc.arl.org/advocacy/national/act). Colleges such as Tidewater Community College have pioneered a textbook free degree (“the Z-Degree”), cutting the cost of study by up to 25% whilst simultaneously increasing retention and test scores (see: http://www.tcc.edu/academics/zdegree/index.html)
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