Open Textbooks Workshop: The Open University
Transcript of Open Textbooks Workshop: The Open University
Open Textbooks
Access, Affordability, and Academic Success
The Open University, 9 January 2018
Beck Pitt, IET/LTI: @BeckPittRob Farrow, IET/LTI: @philosopher1978
By David Ernst and modified by Beck Pitt & Vivien Rolfe as part of the UK Open Textbooks project. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
“…higher education shall be equally accessible to all”
20%of all UK students who start a
degree course will not complete it.
https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/performance-indicators/non-continuation-summary
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Tuition fee and HEFCE funding in England 1996-2018
Tuition Fee HEFCE UoR
Current students, on average, will owe more than
£50,000
in fee and maintenance loans upon graduation.
(Principal only)
https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/9334
What can we do?
• Fees
• Room and Board
• Books and Supplies
• Personal Expenses
• Transportation
What can we do?
• Fees
• Room and Board
• Books and Supplies
• Personal Expenses
• Transportation
A 2010 NUS survey indicates that the average student will
spend around
£1000
on books & materials each academic year.
https://www.nus.org.uk/en/advice/money-and-funding/average-costs-of-living-and-study/
What do you think about the cost of textbooks?
What do you think about the cost of textbooks?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d6HTN6llgo
“Due to caring responsibilities at home, most of my study is done at home in the evening, when my children are in bed. Therefore I cannot use the university library to study.”
“Material changes every year so it’s difficult to find useful second hand copies.”
“There are more recommended reading books than I can afford to buy or have time to read.”
“They are extremely useful, but expensive considering the fact that we pay £9000 tuition fees.”
“When 6 subjects have 5-10 books on the ‘suggested reading’ list, it becomes impossible to obtain all of them.”
“Text books are ridiculously priced. They are aimed at students but are completely out of their price range. £100 for one book!”
Quotes from UWE Students
Rolfe, V. Could open textbooks improve the experience of all students?
Coping with the Cost
• Purchase an older edition of the textbook
• Delay purchasing the textbook
• Never purchase the textbook
• Share the textbook with other students, either directly or via the library.
• Download textbooks from the internet
–U of MN Student
"I figured French hadn't changed that much.”
Have you ever delayed purchasing a textbook because of cost?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjaTJC8zZJ4
7/10
students surveyed hadn’t bought a required textbook due to cost.
http://www.slideshare.net/txtbks/open-education-and-solving-the-textbook-cost-crisis
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4IswNs0WWE
The Academic Impact
• 80% thought purchasing textbooks was an important part of their studies
• 88% of students claimed to have skipped purchasing a textbook because of the price.
• 9% claimed to have changed their course because of the cost of books associated with it.
Rolfe, V. Could open textbooks improve the experience of all students?
2012 2016
63.6% 66.5% Not purchase the required textbook
49.2% 47.6% Take fewer courses
45.1% 45.5% Not register for a specific course
33.9% 37.6% Earn a poor grade
26.7% 26.1% Drop a course
17.0% 19.8% Fail a course
In your academic career, has the cost of required textbooks caused you to:
http://www.openaccesstextbooks.org/pdf/2012_Florida_Student_Textbook_Survey.pdf
Other models…
Where does the funding come from?
Universities (SUNY, Umass Amherst, Portland State, …)
Foundations (Hewlett, Gates, …)
Governments (state, federal)
Institutional Consortia (CALI)
All RightsReserved
Some RightsReserved
Plus…
With Creative Commons licenses, you are free to…
Copy Mix
Share Keep
Edit Use
open.umn.edu
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Rev
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Ratings
Open Textbook Reviews
12 Peer Reviewed Studies of Perceptions of OER Quality
http://openedgroup.org/
5,201 Professors and Students
http://openedgroup.org/
50%Same35%
Better
15%Worse
http://openedgroup.org/
13 Peer Reviewed Studies of Efficacy
http://openedgroup.org/
119,720 Students
http://openedgroup.org/
95% Same or Better Outcomes
http://openedgroup.org/
Introductory, algebra-based, two-semester college physics
1272 pages
Available inPDF
ePubPrintWeb
Bookshare (accessible)
Instructor solution manual
Powerpoint slides
Examples of Customizing
PM4ID
What can we do?
What can we do?
• Take a look! (open.umn.edu)
• Write a review!
• Adopt if a book meets the needs of you and your students
• Raise awareness - talk with colleagues in your program and department
Writing a Review
Is there is a textbook in the Open Textbook Library that fits your class and/or expertise?
Stipend will be paid for:
1. attending this workshop, and
2. reviewing a textbook in the Open Textbook Library
Writing a Review
1. You will receive an email with a link to the online review form.
2. Complete a concise review by 20 February 2018.
3. The review will be posted on the Open Textbook Library under an open license.
4. A £150 voucher will be paid.
1) Write a review (receive a £150 voucher)
2) Adopt a book to use with students and be part of our project evaluation
3) Be part of our open textbook community – subscribe to the blog (ukopentextbooks.org), follow us on Twitter
4) Contact Beck for any queries (@BeckPitt or [email protected])
What next?
Beck Pitt [email protected] @BeckPittRob Farrow [email protected] @philosopher1978
Slides: https://www.slideshare.net/BeckPitt
Open Textbook Library: open.umn.eduUK Open Textbook Project: http://ukopentextbooks.org
By David Ernst and modified by Beck Pitt & Vivien Rolfe as part of the UK Open Textbooks project. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.