Evelyn S. Field Library Blog

Save Students Money with OER!

WHY OER

Students can't learn from books they can't afford.

In a survey of 174 students at Raritan Valley Community College, 1 in 3 students said they decided against buying a textbook because it was too expensive. When RVCC students took four courses, 53% delayed purchasing a textbook for two weeks or more due to cost. When RVCC students took five courses, 62.5% delayed purchasing a textbook for two weeks or more due to cost. 65% of RVCC faculty also thought the cost of their assigned textbook was too expensive.

OER CAN HELP

OER are open educational resources; freely available materials that can be downloaded, edited, and shared to better serve all students.

With OER students can...

• access course materials from Day 1
• Use the material in whatever format they choose
• Retain the material forever, in any format
• Opt to purchase a professionally printed version Keep up in class Improve their chances for success
• Afford other necessities

With OER, professors can...

• Have greater control over course materials
• Organize content the way they want to teach
• Offer students more accessible options
• Free themselves from textbook sales reps
• Become the most popular professor on campus

LET'S DO THIS

OER can be implemented in a combination of four ways: Adoption, Adaptation, Curation, and Creation. It is perfectly alright to start gently with OER and add more along the way.

• Adoption – select an existing OER textbook
• Adaptation – select and modify an existing OER; add ancillary materials to supplement an open textbook
• Curation – select multiple OER to develop course content
• Creation – write text or create materials from scratch

SOME OER RESOURCES

OpenStax
Using OpenStax is simple! Review the textbook online, and if you decide to use it in your class, let them know. To access faculty-only materials, you can create an OpenStax account and request faculty access. Once they manually verify that you’re an instructor, you will have access to all faculty content. Include the textbook URL in your course materials, and from there, students can choose how they want to view the book.

OER Commons Collections
OER Commons is a digital public library and collaboration platform, informed by pioneering efforts in knowledge management and educational innovation. OER Commons offers a comprehensive infrastructure for curriculum experts and instructors at all levels to identify high-quality OER and collaborate around their adaptation, evaluation, and use to address the needs of teachers and learners. Diving into OER Commons is an exciting opportunity to collaborate with other educators and learners, at the forefront of a new educational era.

LIBRARIANS: OER SUPERSTARS

If you are interested in pursuing OER for your course, talk to your friendly librarian. Chances are they have already curated an awesome selection of OER resources, like this great list.

HOW TO HELP THE OER MOVEMENT

• Investigate the cost of your current textbook. What is the cost? How much does the bookstore markup the price? Are there alternative purchasing options? Is there a required access code?
• Consider high enrollment courses that might be suitable for OER. The more students that take a course, the bigger an impact OER adoption will be! Talk to other faculty who teach the same course/discipline about forming a team to explore OER.
• Attend conferences and webinars from organizations like NJEdge, CCCOER, and OpenEd.

This blog post was adapted from a presentation by Raritan Valley Community College Evenly S. Field Library Chair, Megan Dempsey, MLIS.