Abstract
To provide more affordable course content to our students and faculty, local data on how students perceive textbook expenses and how the costs impact student success would be necessary in order to advocate to faculty and other stakeholders. This survey, conducted at a mid-sized research public institution, aims to explore student perceptions of textbooks and how these perceptions influence academic success. The results reveal that students feel that the cost of required textbooks is unreasonable and that students are more likely to purchase required textbooks for in-major classes than for elective or general education courses. The most common means of reducing costs are purchasing from a vendor other than the campus bookstore, renting, or sharing books with classmates. Implications for academic success included not purchasing required textbooks or withdrawing from a course due to not having the materials. Students whose majors are housed in the College of Business have the highest textbook costs.
Highlights
In the early stages of a grassroots movement to promote the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) to faculty at our University –Old Dominion University, we knew that local data would be necessary in making a case to faculty and administrators about how the use of OER could improve the educational experience of our students
This paper presents a study conducted by librarians at Old Dominion University on student perceptions of textbooks and whether the cost of textbooks plays a role in factors related to student success; and to explore how students at our University engage with course materials
The results section will provide a discussion of the findings; to report on the amount that students spend on course materials, the actions they take to reduce the costs of purchasing these materials, and the consequent impact upon student academic success
Summary
In the early stages of a grassroots movement to promote the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) to faculty at our University –Old Dominion University–, we knew that local data would be necessary in making a case to faculty and administrators about how the use of OER could improve the educational experience of our students. Providing national statistics about the rising cost of textbooks and sharing data from longitudinal studies is useful to begin a conversation, but providing local data about student perceptions can assist with gaining buy-in from faculty and administrators and to build interest in use of OER or Affordable Course Content (ACC) instead of using traditional course materials. The goal of this study was to gain insight into the student experience at our institution, Old Dominion University, a mid-sized research university located in Norfolk, Virginia. Presenting data from our own student body would be quite meaningful to our constituents
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