Open Educational Resources (OER): An Alternative to the High Cost of Publisher Textbooks

Regina Gong, Librarian & OER Project ManagerDr. Sharon Hughes, Professor of Psychology

Lansing Community College

MEA Fall 2016 Higher Education ConferenceOctober 21, 2016

Open Educational Resources (OER)

Digitized materials, offered freely and openly for educators and students to use and re-use

for teaching, learning, and research.

OER come in many forms…

There’s a problem that OER are trying to solve.

Community college students

Market Failure

5 major publishers hold nearly 90% of the

market

Impact of high textbook costs for students

Source: 2016 Florida Virtual Campus Survey

open > freeOpen Educational Resources

open = free + permissions

open licensing systemwww.creativecommons.org

Open Licenses

licensesmost open

least open

(OER)

Courses Adopting OER (Fall 2016)

• BIOL 127 – All sections• BIOL 128 – All sections• BIOL 270 – 1 section• ECON 201 – All sections• ECON 202 – All sections• HIST 211 – 5 sections• HIST 212 – 4 sections

• SOCL 120 – 10 sections• PSYC 200 – All sections• MUSC 168 – 1 section• GRMN 121 – All sections

(50/50)• GRMN 122 – All sections

(50/50)

OER Adoptions at LCC

Fall 2015 Spring 2016 Summer 2016 Fall 20160

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

5

11

3

38

No. of Faculty Using OER

Fall 2015 Spring 2016 Summer 2016 Fall 20160

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

59

3

1011

17

3

89

No. of Courses & Sections Using OER

No. of Courses Using OER No. of Sections Using OER

Students Impacted by OER

Fall 2015 Spring 2016 Summer 2016 Fall 20160

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

317400

74

2568

No. of Students Enrolled in Courses Using OER

3,359

$496,686.25

Psychology Program at LCC• One of largest programs on campus

• 12 different courses• 27 faculty members

• PSYC200: Introduction to Psychology• 38 sections ;1,135 students enrolled (fall 2016 semester)

• Prior textbook use

Switching to OER

What did we do to make it happen?

•Faculty involvement in the process•Narrowing down the OER choices•Rubric development•Review process

https://openstax.org/

Psychology Faculty Authored OER published on CNX Connexions

• Changing textbooks (in general)

• Access• Obtaining hard

copies for faculty• Quality

• Faculty perceptions

• Student perceptions

• Evaluate at the end of the semester• Expand to other psychology courses

• Begin with courses required for degree

• Eventually hope to include all psychology courses

• Z-degree pilot

Student Feedback on OER at LCC

Student Feedback on OER at LCC

Student Feedback on OER at LCC

Student Feedback on OER at LCC“I've always been bitter about buying a textbook that I only need to use maybe 700 words (total) throughout the semester. This is so much better.”

“It was great not having to spend x amount of $$ for the textbook. Extremely convenient for me along with all other students who pay their own way through school.”

“I like the idea of a text book right in front of me, if we are talking organization and accessibility. However, the cost is so much that I would almost rather have an open online textbook considering college tuition and living expenses are outstanding as it is. Another con to the open online text book is the amount of work our instructor has to put into it. She works hard to find materials for us yet there are students that will not use these to their full potential, and I would hate for a hard working teacher to waste their time.”

“I definitely recommend an online textbook. I could access it anywhere and I did NOT have to pay or break my back carrying it around with me. The online textbook was very easy and explained the topic very well. It also saved me a great deal of money.”

“I am so thankful we didn't have to purchase a textbook for this class. The online book was great and considering textbooks break the bank, I do not see a point to have to purchase them for every class. The price is not worth the benefit of having a tangible book. I support FREE online books.”

http://libguides.lcc.edu/oer