COTP Research Meeting – October 18, 2010

Clare Middleton-Detzner, Institute for the Study of

Knowledge Management in Education ISKME:

Implications of Open Textbook Use on Teaching, Learning, and Institutional Policy

Introduction and Methodology

• Online Learningin Dev Ed

2003 2005 2007 2009 2011

Ongoing Projects

Overview of ISKME’s OER Research Trajectory

• Incentives and interest to participate in online resources• Existing behaviors to support use of online resources and OER• What makes resources usable and reusable for teachers and learners

• Creation, use and reuse behaviors • Challenges and supports for OER

• Ways that OER supports teaching and learning• Emergent practices/perceptions aligned to OER

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• FHSST• Teachers’ Domain• Training Commons• Travel Well EUN• SEP• CurriculumNet• Curriki

• OER Arts & SJ

Siyavula

Cyberlearning in Community Colleges

• CNXOER

Commons

• Types of and ways knowledge is shared through OER

• OER communities of practice

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Community College Open Textbook ProjectOER PD

• MITE

• Identification of factors influencing open textbook adoption and what obstacles exist to their use

• Insight into ways that open textbook use enhances teaching and learning

• Identification of benefits and challenges of open textbook adoption in terms of teaching, learning, and institutional policy

Research Questions Data Collection Methods

1) What institutional policies are needed to support adoption and use of open textbooks?

2) How and to what extent are open textbooks being created, shared, and used?

3) How does the use of open textbooks support teaching and learning?

CCOTP/CCCOER Participant Obs.

of Meetings

CCOTC Research and Evaluation Methodology

Administrator Interviews

Bookstore Mgr. Interviews

CCOTP/CCCOER Interviews

Student Focus Groups

Faculty Interviews

FindingsFaculty Interviews and Student Focus Groups

Factors Influencing Faculty’s Adoption of Open Textbooks

• Financial savings for students

• Word of mouth

• Authorship

• Perceived quality

• Peer review

• Department-wide adoption

“I adopted the textbook because an old colleague of mine wrote the book and I agreed with his

[pedagogical] approach.” –Faculty Participant

“I didn’t know or think about this before I adopted the book... I’ve changed around the book so it’s in the order I like. I’ve added material to it. I

like making it fit to the way I want to teach the course.” --Faculty Interview Participant

Benefits of Open TextbooksAdaptability, Interactivity, and Consistency of Open Textbooks Supports Faculty in Curriculum Development

“I’m now offering students the ability to interact with information and their interaction is what leads the classroom. It’s not just the method of information

that’s being changed, it provides the opportunity for students to access more original material in a way that

promotes interactive learning.” – Faculty Participant

Benefits of Open TextbooksInteractivity of Content Supports New Teaching and Learning Approaches

“It’s easier to stay focused on homework when I have the homework assignment

open and the textbook open at the same time, on the same screen.” –Student

Participant

Benefits of Open TextbooksInteractive, Multi-Media Features Support New Study Habits For Students

“Now I send emails to my students with a URL link to

the chapter they’re supposed to read. It helps keep them

on track with where we are in the course.”

– Faculty Participant

“My colleagues and I collaborated to integrate the book with our existing syllabi and course curriculum…now we

meet regularly to talk about lesson plans.” – Faculty Participant

Benefits of Open TextbooksOpen Textbook Use Aligned to New, Collaborative Teaching Practices

Benefits Across Academic Disciplines

Discipline Benefits Reported by Faculty Participants

Information Systems Textbook “models everything we’re talking about in class”

Political Science Textbook enhances interactivity between traditional course materials and public domain websites (such as whitehouse.com)

Mathematics Textbook provides consistency in notation – “I can’t see how a math book could be a mashup”

Sciences Textbook is well-aligned with “the linear nature of teaching certain subjects”

Challenges to Open Textbook Use for Faculty and Students

Open textbook adoption

and use

Perceptions about the quality of

open textbooks

Perceptions about the quality of

open textbooks

Lack of student access to technology

Lack of student access to technology

Lack of knowledge on impact of OER on teaching &

learning

Lack of knowledge on impact of OER on teaching &

learning

Lack of professional development and technology in schools to support OER use

Lack of professional development and technology in schools to support OER use

Building on our Findings: Future Directions for Open Textbook Research

• Further exploration into the ways that OER use serves as a mechanism for faculty professional development and ehanced pedagogy

• Further exploration of the role that open textbooks play in enhanced student learning

• Examination of how open textbook adoption can be embedded into existing institutional processes, such as curriculum and program review

Moving Forward with Analysis and Dissemination

• Submitted article to the peer-reviewed journal, Open Learning

• Completing interviews with faculty bookstore managers, administrators, and COTP project partners

• Conducting final analysis of data

• Writing final report

• Vetting journals and conferences for near-future submission

Clare Middleton-DetznerInstitute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Educationclare@iskme.org