Supporting Librarians in Making the Business Case for OER

Abstract

College textbook costs increased at three times the rate of inflation between 2002 and 2012 (United States General Accounting Office [GAO], 2013). One solution to high textbook costs is Open Educational Resources (OER) and institutional librarians, because of their reach throughout the institution and particular skillsets, are keenly positioned to make the business case for OER and become leaders of the OER movement. This article discusses the issues most relevant to OER adoption and provides an environmental scan of OER resources currently available to institutions, faculty, and students.

UNC System Math Pathways’ Digital Course Enhancement Collaboration to Improve Equity, Instruction, and Access During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…OERs were identified as a best practice for the development teams to help minimize costs for students while maximizing access to high-quality materials. (Colson, 2017) They were also selected to help provide common materials that were not tied to a particular textbook, given the many different textbooks being used across the UNC System. Ten initial courses were selected, with three courses added when additional funding became available.…”

High-Priced Textbooks’ Impact on Community College Student Success

“…Higher educational institutions (HEI) often define student success as earning a grade of A, B, C, or passing in a course and closely monitor student success rates. Numerous recent research studies have shown that a relationship exists between textbook prices and student success rates, with the number of students receiving a grade of D or F in the course or withdrawing from the course increasing as the price of required materials goes up (Colson et al, 2017; Florida Virtual Campus, 2018; Wiley, 2020). A review by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2016) reveals that textbook prices climbed approximately 88% between 2006 and 2016, and subsequent research shows that full-time undergraduate students attending 4-year institutions spend approximately $1,200 annually on books and supplies (Chiorescu, 2017; Powell & Kerr, 2020).…”

“…A review by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2016) reveals that textbook prices climbed approximately 88% between 2006 and 2016, and subsequent research shows that full-time undergraduate students attending 4-year institutions spend approximately $1,200 annually on books and supplies (Chiorescu, 2017; Powell & Kerr, 2020). Concerns over the rising costs of textbooks, and their potential impact on students, prompted numerous research studies (e.g., Chiorescu, 2017; Colson et al, 2017; Powell & Kerr, 2020; Wiley, 2020) and surveys such as the Florida Virtual Campus (FVC) survey.…”

“…In summary, research suggests that expensive textbooks may inhibit students from receiving grades of A, B, C, or Passing in academic courses (Colson et al, 2017; Green, 2018; Wiley, 2020). In comparison, other studies (Green, 2018; Wiley, 2020; Zhao et al, 2020) show that the increased accessibility to course materials provided by no-cost/low-cost options such as OER results in higher student success rates among college and university students.…”

An Embedded Librarian’s Experience Piloting a Subject-Specific OER Initiative

“…V also presents on higher education DEIA issues and supporting graduate student research. resources (OER) scholarship (Belikov & Bodily, 2016;Clinton, 2019;Colson et al, 2017;Crozier, 2018;Nicholls, 2009;Senack & The Student PIRGs, 2014;Wesolek et al, 2018;Woodward et al, 2017) and on open advocacy organization websites such as SPARC (SPARC, n.d.). However, graduate textbook estimates prove more difficult to locate on graduate school admissions websites.…”