Library and Information Science Commons^™

2022 Gettysburg College Student Textbook And Course Materials Survey Executive Summary, Janelle Wertzberger, Mary R. Elmquist

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. The results from this new survey illuminate how students are affected by textbook and course material costs, how they cope with these costs, and how effects and behaviors have changed since our 2019 survey.

This report summarizes the background of the project, key findings, and recommendations.

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 …

Accessible, Adaptable, Affordable: How Oer And Low-Cost Materials Can Future-Proof Your Courses, Janelle L. Wertzberger, Mary R. Elmquist, Sarah Appedu

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Janelle Wertzberger, Mary Elmquist, Sarah Appendu. Sarah Principato (Environmental Studies), Alecea Standlee (Sociology), Mercedes Valmisa (Philosophy) When COVID-19 caused an emergency pivot to online teaching and learning, students and faculty suddenly needed course materials that were accessible and adaptable in that context. Open educational resources (OER) offer flexibility and resiliency in any mode of instruction, while simultaneously reducing inequities among students. Faculty can employ other strategies to reduce student costs, as well. Hosted by the Musselman Library Scholarly Communications team, this session will include a short presentation, testimonials from faculty who are already teaching with OER and other low-cost materials, …

2019 Gettysburg College Student Textbook And Course Materials Survey Executive Summary, Janelle Wertzberger, Sarah Appedu, Mary R. Elmquist

All Musselman Library Staff Works

We’ve all heard stories of students struggling with textbook costs, but how do our students cope when the price gets too high? Modeled after the Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey conducted by Florida Virtual Campus, Musselman Library’s course materials survey sought to uncover how textbook costs impact the success of Gettysburg College students. Results give insight into participants’ perceptions of how much money they spend, the strategies they use to reduce costs, and the effects of the cost of course materials on their academic success.

The Executive Summary details our research questions, key findings, and main takeaways.

Textbook Affordability Is A Social Justice Issue: How Open Textbooks Are Paving The Way To Equality In Higher Education, Sarah Appedu

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Textbook affordability is becoming a bigger and bigger problem for students. Access to textbooks is essential for students to be able to meet their learning needs and have equal opportunity to excel as their peers. Open Textbooks are one response to this issue, but while most library outreach is focused on faculty members, students are an underutilized voice in the open education conversation. This presentation aims to educate students on what open textbooks are, what their limitations are, and how all students can participate in advocating for more affordable course materials.

Open Education Week @ Gettysburg College 2019, Lauren Ashley Bradford

All Musselman Library Staff Works

During Open Education Week 2019, Musselman Library's Department of Scholarly Communications educated the campus community about issues of textbook affordability and about the development of Open Educational Resources. This poster provides basic information about what Open Education is and how it is a response to the high cost of course materials, which creates barriers for many students who cannot afford to purchase their books. Open Education seeks to create equitable access to all course materials and transform traditional ideas about pedagogy.

Open Textbooks: Access, Affordability, And Academic Success, Janelle L. Wertzberger

All Musselman Library Staff Works

This session will give Gettysburg College faculty a chance to learn more about open textbooks and how to discover options that might work for the courses you teach. Open textbooks can help alleviate the burden of textbook costs for students and provide faculty with content that can be customized for their course. Open textbooks are full, real textbooks, used by many faculty across the country, and licensed to be freely used, edited, and distributed. After the workshop, participants will be invited to write a short review of an open textbook they might assign in a course (please note: open textbooks …

Oer And Accessibility: Designing Equitable Foundations For Open Education, Christopher Barnes

All Musselman Library Staff Works

Presentation on OER and accessibility given at the ACLCP Fall Conference in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Friday, 26 October, 2018.

Customize Your Course Content With Open Educational Resources, Janelle Wertzberger

All Musselman Library Staff Works

This half day workshop provides an overview of the current open textbook and OER landscape, including information about copyright, fair use, open licensing, strategies for identifying open content, and models for compiling open content for class use. We will also devote time to hands-on exploration of existing open resources that could be used in your course or discipline. If you have been thinking about reworking your required readings and are leaning toward more open materials, this workshop is the perfect time to explore the possibilities. You will get the most out of this workshop if you come with a specific …