Abstract
As college costs have continued to rise, textbooks now average more than $1,200 per student per academic year as of 2020. Traditional textbooks are not only expensive, but also have fixed and frequently outdated content. In this study, we compared pre-service teacher-student outcomes and perceptions of a traditional textbook versus no-cost, online materials such as open educational resources (OER) in an undergraduate Foundations of Education course. Outcomes were measured by comparison of final course grades. Perceptions were determined through quantitative and qualitative survey questions added to existing end-of-course evaluations. Results revealed students found OER and no-cost online materials more useful to their success in the course and more engaging than a traditional textbook. Qualitative analysis further revealed that while students appreciated there was no cost for the online materials, they preferred them to a traditional textbook because of the customized content. Results suggest students find instructor-curated, no-cost online readings more useful and preferable to a traditional textbook without compromising student academic performance.
Highlights
Rising costs to students attending institutions of higher education have been well documented (Jaggars, Rivera, and Akani 2019; Schick and Marklein 2013; The College Board 2013)
We evaluated the differences in final course grades and failure/withdrawal rates among students depending on the primary learning resource used—a traditional textbook or the compilation of Open Educational Resources (OER) and no-cost online readings
When students were offered a traditional textbook option, most declined to purchase it, and if they did, they did not use it on a regular basis
Summary
Rising costs to students attending institutions of higher education have been well documented (Jaggars, Rivera, and Akani 2019; Schick and Marklein 2013; The College Board 2013). Of all the different aspects of the collegiate experience that have increased, the cost change for textbooks has been especially dramatic. Students currently spend an average of $1,240 per year on textbooks alone (The College Board 2019), and education costs can be substantially higher for students in teacher education programs. To receive teacher licensure in the state of Georgia, pre-service teachers must pay for an Education Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA), online portfolio access, liability insurance, an ethics entrance and exit exam, and a content exam adding an additional $1,000 over the course of their undergraduate certification program.
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