Library and Information Science Commons^™

Value Beyond Cost Savings: Unlocking Diversity, Equity And Inclusion With Open Educational Resources, Nancy Henke

Libraries Workshops & Webinars

The cost savings offered by the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) have garnered significant attention. As free teaching, learning, and research materials, OER reduce financial barriers to education by eliminating textbook costs. However, fewer people are aware that OER also contribute to a more inclusive learning environment. This session explores the value of OER beyond financial benefits, delving into how OER, as free and accessible resources, play a role in building an inclusive educational landscape. From embracing diverse perspectives in content creation to providing the opportunity to tailor course materials to students’ specific needs, this presentation uncovers the many …

Open Educational Resources (Oer) Efficacy And Experiences: A Mixed Methods Study, Jennifer Mayer

University Libraries Faculty Publications

This study compared course passing and completion rates of undergraduate students to determine if there was any relationship between use of open educational resources (OER) and these two outcomes. Students who took OER courses and faculty who taught with OER shared their perceptions of the impact of such resources on learning outcomes and teaching methods.

The quantitative analysis revealed that using OER had a positive impact on course passing rates (7 percent increase) and completion rates (10 percent increase) for all students. The qualitative analysis revealed the student perception that OER had some positive impact on their course participation and …

Investing In Textbook Affordability Pays Off For Students, Janelle Wertzberger

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Investing in textbook affordability can have a huge payoff for students—just ask Assistant Professors Alice Brawley Newlin and Marta Maras in the Management department. Their open, customized textbook for Statistical Methods (MGT 235) is completely free. It has been used by over 400 students and saved them an estimated $150,000! The story of how this remarkable outcome was achieved has its origins in Musselman Library. [excerpt]

Digital Access Tools And Provision Of Open Educational Resources By Librarians In Academic Libraries In Rivers State, Emmanuel Okwu, Onyema Nsirim

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

The purpose of the study was to determine digital access tools and provision of open educational resources by librarians in academic libraries in Rivers State. Three objectives, three research questions and three hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The study adopted a correlational research survey design. The population of the study was Seventy-Five (75) librarians comprising all the state government owned academic libraries in Rivers State. Census sampling technique was used to select all the respondents. Online questionnaire titled Digital Access Tools and Provision of Open Educational Resources Questionnaire (DATPOERQ) was used for data collection. A total of Sixty-Six …

2022 Gettysburg College Textbook Survey Full Report, Mary R. Elmquist, Janelle Wertzberger

All Musselman Library Staff Works

In Fall 2022, Musselman Library conducted its second course materials survey, this time in collaboration with 10 other liberal arts colleges from around the country. This report compiles the results from Gettysburg College participants' responses. Comparisons are also made to the results from Gettysburg's 2019 survey and the larger group of colleges.

Oa And Oer In Education And The Knowledge Market: Presentation And Workshop Materials, Jillian Beckwell

Honors Projects

Are you interested in being able to access reliable information, research, images, and more online without running into a paywall or fee? Are you interested in accessing online textbooks and other class materials without having to spend a single dollar? With Open Access and Open Educational Resources, these scenarios are possible. This presentation will discuss Open Access materials and Open Educational Resources, and their role in educational spaces and within the different Knowledge Market services.

Open Educational Resources (Oer) Initiatives: Global And Indian Quo Vadis, Phulasmita Nath

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Galloping speed of technological development and intense research activities in ICT over last couple of decades has facilitated opportunities of rapid expansion in creation, distribution and consumption of educational resources across the world. While fulcrum motivational factor for such technological advancement is indeed profit driven, a substantial gain has also been drawn by academic communities using the same set of technologies for greater social good. Open Source Software, Creative Commons, Open Access Initiatives have paved the way for Open Educational Resources (OER). With these impetuses, nations are trying to bridge the gaps between information have and haven’t and reduce the …

Diamonds Down Your Sofa, Aisling Coyne, Yvonne Desmond, John Donovan

Other

Every RPO has or should have an institutional repository. As a showcase for what you do especially outputs that are not suitable for publication, they are hard to beat but how many of us extract the full value from them? How many of us treat them as electronic warehouses and never look at them again? In short, how many of us have no idea of how much really know? Repositories store so much more than just full-text articles, they are used to catalogue everything from artworks to zoom logs and everything in between and that breadth represents hidden but real …

Is It Worth It? Evaluating An Open Educational Resources Awards Program, Ashley Sergiadis, Philip Smith

ETSU Faculty Works

Awards or grant programs are a common way for higher education institutions to incentivize the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) and other affordable course materials. This study evaluates the results of a two-year pilot OER awards program at East Tennessee State University. To assess the awards program, we used data from student savings and program costs, grades, drop-fail-withdrawal (DFW) rates, and survey results compiled within the COUP framework (Cost, Outcomes, Usage, and Perception). The initial monetary return on investment was moderately positive, while the grades and DFW rates remained steady. The faculty and students rated the open and affordable …

Digitalcommons, Imsa’S Institutional Portfolio: How Inclusion Is Creating A Win-Win For Stakeholders, Jean Bigger

Publications & Research

DigitalCommons@imsa includes rich collections from across the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy that are anchored to its legislative charge and mission. Hear how inclusion and a history of robust cross collaboration have made it possible for IMSA to curate content that provides evidence of return on investment to stakeholders while demonstrating the effectiveness of its programs. And share in the excitement of our newest initiative, Student Portfolios.

Supporting Open Educational Resources In Digital Commons, Ashley Sergiadis

ETSU Faculty Works

At East Tennessee State University, an awards program incentivizes instructors to adapt or create Open Educational Resources (OERs) and publish them in Digital Commons@ETSU. Come to this presentation to hear lessons learned from the Digital Scholarship Librarian who supported the instructors during the creation and publication process. The presentation will cover the following topics: copyright, accessibility, promotion, timelines, and assessments.

Affordable Learning Kentucky: Strategies For Affordability And Success, Kelly Smith, Cristen Ross, Lori Werth, Ilona Burdette

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Kentucky Virtual Library’s Affordable Learning Steering Committee, an initiative of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), is a working group of librarians from universities around Kentucky exploring ways to advance Kentucky in the Open Educational Resource (OER) / Affordable Textbook movement.

The panel presentation included an overview of their work to date and a discussion with the audience about Kentucky’s needs and strategies related to affordable courseware for students on topics including working with campus bookstores, adding course resources to library collections, using e-reserves dynamically, promoting faculty use and creation of open content, and campus textbook initiatives.

Panelists included …

Textbook Remix: An Introduction To Libretexts For Oer Editing, Mary Elmquist, Alice M. Brawley Newlin

All Musselman Library Staff Works

So, you’ve found an open textbook that you really like, but it’s not quite right for your class? LibreTexts might be the answer! Join us for this informal webinar to learn a little more about this online platform designed for customizing and distributing open textbooks. From Gettysburg College, Scholarly Communications Librarian Mary Elmquist will provide an introduction to the platform, its structure and features, and Dr. Alice Brawley Newlin, Assistant Professor of Management, will speak on her ongoing experiences using LibreTexts to edit and implement an open textbook for a Statistical Methods course.

This session should provide insight for both …

Student Textbook Surveys: An Important Component Of A Library Oer Initiative, Janelle Wertzberger, Amanda Langdon, Andrea Hartranft, Mary Elmquist

All Musselman Library Staff Works

A student textbook survey is a potentially powerful tool in the OER advocate’s toolkit. This moderated panel features librarians working within smaller settings and includes representatives from a small, private, liberal arts college, a small public Hispanic-serving institution, and a community college. Panelists will discuss survey goals, research design considerations, approaches to data analysis, and strategies for sharing results. Participants will gain concrete ideas about whether and how a student textbook survey could advance their local OER initiatives, as well as practical tips for how to move ahead with such a project.

Inequitable Impacts Of Textbook Costs At A Small, Private College: Results From A Textbook Survey At Gettysburg College, Sarah Appedu, Mary Elmquist, Janelle Wertzberger, Sharon K. Birch

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Recognizing that higher education settings vary considerably, librarians at Gettysburg College sought to better understand textbook spending behaviors and the effects of costs on our students. We adapted the Florida Virtual Campus 2016 Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey to suit the context of our small, private, liberal arts college. Most students spent $300 in Fall 2019. Financial aid awards did not cover the cost of required books and course materials for most students receiving aid. Negative effects were more pronounced for first-generation students and Pell Grant recipients, who were more likely to not purchase required books, to not register …

Faculty And Student Perspectives On Open Education At Gettysburg College, Mary R. Elmquist, Janelle Wertzberger, Alice M. Brawley Newlin, Natasha J. Gownaris, Christopher C. Oechler, Ryan E. Nedrow

Friday Forum

Commercially available textbooks and course materials are often expensive for students and sometimes don’t cover topics in exactly the way you might prefer to teach. Freely available and completely adaptable open educational resources (OER) have risen in popularity in recent years, both nationwide and locally, as a way to address both issues. Join us to hear from Alice Brawley Newlin (Management), Tasha Gownaris (Environmental Studies), Chris Oechler (Spanish), and Ryan Nedrow ’22 to hear about their experiences with OER in the classroom. Panelists will talk honestly about the benefits, drawbacks, challenges, and successes associated with open course materials in order …

Artisanal Oer: Starting From Scratch At A Small Liberal Arts College, Stephen G. Krueger, Kelsey Molseed

Dartmouth Library Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

No Textbook Cost General Education Pathway: An Effort To Increase Retention At Central Washington University, Maura Valentino, Geri Hopkins

Library Scholarship

Purpose

This study aims to describe a project that aims to give students a choice to complete their general education requirements without purchasing a textbook.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 26 faculty, teaching in the new general education curriculum, at Central Washington University were given stipends to eliminate expensive textbooks and use free to the student resources such as open educational resources (OER) or library resources. The data was collected on student savings and student and faculty satisfaction with the program.

Findings

Many paths were created through the general education curriculum, so a student may easily finish these requirements without purchasing a …

Using A Student Textbook Survey To Advance An Oer Initiative, Sarah Appedu, Mary Elmquist, Janelle Wertzberger

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Learn how one library created, administered, and used the results of a student textbook survey in order to advance an OER initiative. We will cover fundamental details, including how we modified an existing survey, chose an administration tool, and promoted the survey. Additionally, we will share our approach to analyzing data and sharing results with various campus stakeholders. This session will focus on the practical aspects of the project in hopes that other libraries will feel empowered to conduct local surveys that support programmatic goals.

Assessing Textbook Costs At A Small College, Stephen G. Krueger, Lewis Ward

Dartmouth Library Staff Publications

In recent years, the cost of textbooks has risen drastically, making it an important issue for everyone involved in higher education. Accurate and specific information on the cost of textbooks is needed to effectively address the situation. Over the summer of 2018, a librarian and an undergraduate student at a small liberal arts college assessed the textbook costs at their institution, using methodology developed by community colleges doing similar research. Based on course catalogs, bookstore records, and other resources, they calculated the costs for students in different disciplines over four years of study. These costs were impacted by major, courses …

Intro To Oer For Library Employees, Stephen G. Krueger

Dartmouth Library Workshops and Presentations

Open educational resources (OER) are materials, such as open textbooks, that are free for anyone to use and share. This session will provide library employees with basic information about OER from a library perspective. Attendees will learn what makes a resource open access, how OER can help students and faculty, and where to find open textbooks and other OER.

Supporting Students With Open Textbooks, Stephen G. Krueger, Katie Harding

Dartmouth Library Workshops and Presentations

Have you ever considered adopting an open textbook for your course? If you are concerned about your students' access to their assigned textbook or if you are interested in exploring what open textbooks exist in your field, this session is for you. You'll learn how to find and use free, high quality, digital textbooks.

Open Textbooks: Access, Affordability, And Academic Success (2020), Janelle Wertzberger, Mary R. Elmquist

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Concerned about the high cost of commercial textbooks? Open textbooks are full, real textbooks, used by many faculty across the country, and licensed to be freely used, edited, reproduced, and distributed. Adopting an open textbook ensures that all students have immediate access to a zero-cost book and provides faculty 100% control over their learning materials. Attend this workshop to learn more about why open textbook adoption is on the rise, and hear from Gettysburg professors who made the switch after last year’s workshop.

After the workshop, participants will be invited to write a short review of an open textbook they …

Results From A Psychology Oer Pilot Program: Faculty And Student Perceptions, Cost Savings, And Academic Outcomes, Juliana Magro, Sara V. Tabaei

Touro College Libraries Publications and Research

This case study describes the library’s experience of collaborating with an undergraduate Psychology Department at Touro College to integrate open textbooks into their program. We discuss the pedagogical changes as well as explore the impact of Open Educational Resources (OER) on students’ savings, their academic outcomes and perceptions of OER. Furthermore, we highlight the successes and shortcomings in having the library as a central OER partner. To measure the results, we surveyed students and conducted a faculty survey and a focus group, in addition to analyzing the students’ final grades. This pilot program delivered strong results. The students’ perception was …

Undergraduate Student Perspectives On Textbook Costs And Implications For Academic Success, Lucinda Rush Wittkower, Leo S. Lo

Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

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 …

Wsac Grant Final Outcomes, Maura Valentino

Library Scholarship

No abstract provided.

What’S Up With Textbooks?, Janelle Wertzberger

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Presentation at a faculty meeting on textbook costs and actions that instructors can take to improve student learning

Choose Your Own Initiative: Exploring The Landscape Of Oer And Textbook Affordability Programs, Matt Ruen, Jacklyn A. Rander, Janelle Yahne

Presentations

Congratulations! Your college or university is ready to plan (or maybe expand!) a campus-wide initiative focused on Open Educational Resources or other textbook alternatives. But OER and affordability programs vary widely in scope, funding, and strategies, described in articles, book chapters, and news stories. At Grand Valley State University, library OER supporters faced this situation when our faculty senate established a task force to identify university-wide strategies for OER and affordable course materials. To help this task force hit the ground running, we surveyed the landscape of programs at other institutions, identified organizations actively engaged in OER work, and selected …

Oer & Textbook Affordability Initiatives: An Introduction, Janelle Yahne, Jacklyn A. Rander, Matt Ruen

Library Reports and Communication

An overview of initiatives and programs supporting the use and creation of Open Educational Resources (OER) or other Affordable Course Materials at higher education institutions. The report also identifies relevant organizations, addresses related issues in higher education and the textbook industry, and provides further readings and resources on OER.

This was originally assembled as background and reference materials for the 2018-2019 University Academic Senate Task Force on Open Educational Resources and Affordable Course Materials, at Grand Valley State University (Allendale, Michigan). It was subsequently revised and expanded in Summer 2019. The report focuses primarily on the Michigan context, and is …

Open Access And Open Educational Resources, Jacqueline Radebaugh

Faculty Bibliography

This infographic provides information about Open Access and Open Educational Resources. It was created as part of an assignment for the Creative Commons Certificate course.