Welcome'to'our'presentation'on'Open'Textbooks'and'OER.''There'is'a'short'video'by'
NBC'News'on'this'subject'over at'http://goo.gl/RmVK3P'that'will'introduce'the'topic'
nicely.
There'was'a Triangle'article'from'November'2015 that'looked at'the'cost'of'college'
textbooks.
Every'year'the'EDUCAUSE'Learning'Initiative'surveys'the'higher'ed'community'to'
determine'key'issues'and'opportunities'S the'2016'list'was'released'last'month'S this'
is'the'top'of'the'infographic'with'number'one'featured'...
And'here'is'number'8'on'the'2016'list...so'what'we'are'seeing'locally'is'clearly'part'of'
a'larger'movement.''On'the'2015'list,'Open'Textbooks'and'OER'were'ranked'9th.''
Textbook costs'have'skyrocketed'in'the'last'3'decades,'and'students'are'responding'
by'choosing'not'to'buy'them.
White:'reasons'students'don’t'buy.''Yellow:'alternative'strategies'to'buying.
The fact'that'you'can'get'an'answer'to'almost'any'question'(not'only'the'answer'but'
also'the'question'itself'with'autocomplete)'is'a'sign'that'information'itself'is'
diminishing'in'value.
Here'is'the'progression'of'humanity'through'agricultural,'industrial,'information'ages'
into'age'of'creativity.''Think'about'how'the'focus'of'previous'ages'loses'value'over'
time.''Farmers'need'more'subsidies,'modern'manufacturing'reduces'product'cost'to'
pennies,'Google'&'mobile'has'devalued'information'(do'you'remember'your'home'
phone'number'growing'up)?'Now'the'real'value'is'in'creative'ideas.''Startups,'IPOs,'
patents,'and'Shark'Tank'episodes'confirm'this.
First let’s'identify'what'Open'Textbooks'are'not!
You'have'all'probably'seen'one'or'more'of'these'scenarios'play'out'….
The'photo'here'is'of'volume'2'of'a'popular'physics'textbooks'S three'editions:''2001,'
2003'and'2005'S each'two'years'apart.''Now'in'it’s'10th'edition,'the'volume'two'retails'
for'$125'on'Amazon,'the'volume'one'for'$141'and'that'is'WITHOUT'the'“WileyPlus”'
online'features.''Amazone sells'the'binder'edition'with'WileyPlus for'$204…
Open'Textbooks'are'free'to'use,'addressing'the'biggest'barrier'for'students'in'
adopting'textbooks:'cost.''But'they'have'other'advantages'as'well.''
OERs,'including'nonStext'materials,'can'provide'rich'supplemental'resources'S so'
even'if'a'faculty'member'doesn’t'adopt'an'OER'text'they'can'adopt'OER'materials'for'
supplemental'materials'or'for'classroom'&'lecture'use.''
Overlapping'with'the'MOOC'world'S MIT'Open'Courseware.''
MERLOT’s'website'with a'search'example'for'“algebra.”
OER'Commons'website'showing various'education'levels.
A'similar'search'for'algebra on'OER'Commons.
The'Openstax website
A list'of'books'on'Openstax showing'a'college'algebra'text'and'others.
The'OTN'website.
The'saylor.org website with'list'of'books.
A'sample'textbook'from'Openstax.
A'sample'book'hosted'on'the'author’s'website.
A'sample'textbook'from'Saylor.''This'text'is'being'used'in'a'Drexel'course in'Spring'
term'2016.
It’s'important'to'understand'both'meanings of'the'word'free.''OER'usually'has'both:'
free'to'use'and'free'to'adapt.
Creative'Commons is'the'licensing'framework'that'is'most often'used'for'OER,'
however,'most'OER'and'open'texts'allow'for'derivatives.
Not all'open'textbooks'are'created'equal.''Be'careful'where'you'shop and'keep'
looking'for'better'alternatives.
Green'Tea'Press'for'computer'science'(some'joint'publication'with'O’Reilly)j'Chem
Collective'(NSF'&'Carnegie'Mellon)j'National'Science'Digital'Library,'project'of'
Silicon'Valley'based'group,'ISKME'Institute'for'the'Study'of'Knowledge'Management'
in'Education.
Talk'to'your colleagues'at'other'institutions.
Start'at'home'S what'is'your'institution'doing'already?''Libraries'great'place'to'start,'
so'are'Instructional'Technology'groups,'centers'for'teaching'&'learning,'etc.
Library'resources,'multimedia'etc.
YouTube'for'simulations'&'animations'S keep'track'of'authorship'&'origin.'
Research'group'at'Brigham'Young'Univ'S with'funding'from'the'Gates'and'Hewlett'
Foundations'has'extensively'studied'use'of'OER'in'community'college'and'lower'
division'undergraduate'programs'for'a'number'of'years,'generating'a'handful'of'
papers'focused'on'learning'outcomes'of'students'in'OER'v.'nonSOER'classes'and'
cost'savings'realized'by'students'in'OER'v.'nonSOER.''Their'research'pulls'from'
tracking'about'16,000'students'from'nine'institutions'S they”..'found'statistically'
significant'differences'between'groups,'with'most'favoring'students'utilizing'OER'
[materials].”''
Tidewater'Community'College'graphic'SS
http://web.tcc.edu/academics/zdegree/index.html SS introduced'in'August'2013'the'ZS
Degree'was'the'first'textSbook'free,'entirely'OER'degree'program'in'the'US.''
If'you'can’t'find'an'OER'or'open'textbook'for your'course'or'discipline,'consider'
writing'your'own'and'making'it'available'as'an'open'textbook.
Grants:'institutional,'state,'federal,'foundation
Buyouts:'institutional
Feel free'to'contact'either'of'us'with'any'questions.