Open Textbooks

Assessing the Impact of OER with C. EDWARD WATSON

C. Edward Watson was interviewed in a Teaching in Higher Ed podcast about his research when he was at the University of Georgia where he conducted a study about OER and equity.

Quote around the 19-20 minute mark:
“We found that course grades improved at greater rates for nonwhite students and Pell eligible students. In other words, those that we thought that a free textbook would help. Those folks really saw a difference. We also saw significant decreases in DFW rates, a greater rates for nonwhite and Pell eligible students. In fact, looking just at those subgroups, we saw DFW rates drop by a third. So, it really is sort of the notion that that OERs are doing more to make the classroom more equitable, more fair. “

"Maybe this is more than just about saving students money -- maybe this is a new kind of equity issue that we;re thinking about." C. Edward Watson

Assessing the Impact of Open Educational Resources

Open Textbook Publishing | AAUP

Who is best suited to control textbooks: the faculty or the publishers? There are ways to make sure it is the faculty.

Source: Open Textbook Publishing | AAUP

Joe Moxley writes: Rather than working as employees on by-the-piece rates for global companies like Pearson, faculty members can assume the role of publishers. . . . We need to realize our power as authors and publishers. Working collaboratively, we can create dynamic teaching and learning environments.

Featured Post : What is Open? Affordability, OER, and Open Pedagogy – Teaching and Learning Innovations at CI

Swiss Army knife showing the many possibilities of Open
CC-BY-SA 3.0 Open Source Business Foundation

Aligning with openCI efforts, we recently attended the openEd conference in Richmond, Virginia to gain a deeper understanding about the advances and innovative practices being made ar…

Source: What is Open? Affordability, OER, and Open Pedagogy – Teaching and Learning Innovations at CI

More than 1.5 million students have used OpenStax’s free textbooks

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More than 1.5 million college students have used a free textbook from OpenStax, the Rice University-publisher announced today. The number of students using OpenStax textbooks has more than doubled since January, and OpenStax estimates it will save students $70 million in the 2016-17 academic year.

Source: More than 1.5 million students have used OpenStax’s free textbooks