Stout “Open” for Learning and Value in Education (SOLVE): An Open Textbook Pilot
Heather Johnson Schmitz & Robert Butterfield
University of Wisconsin‐Stout
Instructor Survey on OER Awareness & Perceptions
Background
Led by Instructional Resources Service (IRS), who
operates UW-Stout’s textbook rental program, SOLVE is a
pilot open educational resources (OER) program
specifically focused on open textbooks. UW-Stout’s
operational definition of OER follows Wiley’s (2014): OER
are teaching and learning resources that are both nocost and give permission to retain, reuse, revise, remix,
and redistribute.
The average U.S. undergraduate spends over
$1,200/year on books and supplies (The College Board,
2015). In contrast, a typical UW-Stout student pays <$300
each year through segregated fees that support
textbook rentals. Maintaining this low cost for our students
is a challenge―OER are part of the solution.
November 2015, a pre-survey was distributed to gauge awareness and perceptions of OER. The survey questions were
largely based on a national survey done by Allen and Seamen (2014). A stratified random sample of 50% of faculty,
instructional academic staff, and academic staff was prepared; survey respondents = 21% (87/419). A post-survey will be
distributed in April 2016 for comparison.
Have you used open educational resources
How aware are you of open educational resources?
in either of the following ways?
Primary course material
Supplementary course material
63%
Somewhat
Aware, 40%
Aware, 29%
47%
27%
17%
Objectives
• Provide faculty professional development regarding
OER and use of open textbooks. Recruit faculty to
participate in an OER pilot.
• Provide IRS staff professional development to ensure
sustainable OER program.
• Measure baseline instructor awareness and
perceptions regarding OER.
• Enhance campus-wide awareness and perceptions
about OER.
Activities & Outcomes
• 28 faculty signed up and 15 attended the Open
Textbook Workshop, at UW-Stout on Dec. 4, 2015.
• 11 of the 15 faculty attendees completed a review of
an open textbook in the Open Textbook Library.
• 13 of the 15 faculty indicated “yes” or “maybe” when
asked if they plan to adopt an open textbook.
• 4 of the 15 faculty have committed to adopt an open
textbook in Summer or Fall 2016.
Projected Cost Savings from Pilot
BIO 132
CS 248
ENGL 111
PSYC 110
Current book cost Enrollment Sections
$ 134.00
24
1
$ 46.09
25
1
$ 44.95
26
1
$ 159.50
30
1
Cost Savings
$ 3,216.00 $ 1,152.25 $ 1,168.70 $ 4,785.00 $10,321.95 In future, converting all sections of these pilot
courses to OER would result in
saving $185,505 each year.
9%
Not Aware, 24%
14%
9%
Very Aware, 7%
Regularly
Discussion of Survey Findings
The majority, 64%, of UW-Stout instructors were either not
aware of OER or had heard of OER but did not know much
about them. In comparison, a national survey by Allen and
Seamen (2014) found that 80% of instructors were not
aware or somewhat aware. Further, 87% of UW-Stout
instructors responded “yes” or “maybe” when asked “do
you think you will use open educational resources in the
next 2 years.”
When UW-Stout instructors were asked “what do you
believe are the 3 biggest challenges to using open
educational resources in courses,” the top responses were:
1. Too hard to find what I need
2. No comprehensive catalog of resources
3a. Not enough resources for my subject
3b. Not high-quality
These perceived barriers, coupled with the gap between
OER awareness and high intention to adopt in the next 2
years, create an opportunity for continued education and
awareness building at UW-Stout.
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Next Steps: Support OER Adoptions,
Discover Best Practices, Assess
Learning Outcomes
In collaboration with Nakatani Teaching and Learning
Center, a “Digital and Open Educational Resources”
community of practice will run during academic year
2016-17. The CoP will include 8-10 faculty and be
facilitated by the faculty adopting open textbooks in
Summer and Fall 2016:
• Jennifer Grant, BIO 132; Anatomy and Physiology,
OpenStax.
• Seth Berrier, CS 248; The Missing Link: An Introduction to
Web Development and Programming; Open Textbooks
SUNY.
• Peter Olson, ENGL 111; The Pastoral in Literature:
Custom Anthology; Bartelby.com, Gutenberg.org,
Luminarium.org, Literature.org, MIT.
• Michael Mensink, PSYC 110; Psychology, OpenStax.
How would you estimate the quality of OER compared to traditional resources?
Open resources superior
Rated by faculty or editors
12%
Easy to use
Contact: Robert Butterfield; butterfieldr@uwstout.edu; 715-232-2492.
References & Resources
Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2014). Opening the Curriculum: Open
Educational Resources in U.S. Higher Education, 2014. Babson
Survey Research Group.
The College Board. (2015). Annual Survey of Colleges.
Open Textbook Library: http://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/
Open Textbook Network:
http://research.cehd.umn.edu/open/open-textbook-network/
Wiley, D. (2014). The Access Compromise and the 5th R. Available
online http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/3221.
This project was funded in part by a grant award from the
UW System Innovation Program.
14%
About the same
40%
23%
Current and up-to-date
60%
37%
High quality and factually correct
11%
Shown to improve student performance
12%
Cost
18%
54%
53%
9%
37%
67%
71%
0%
Traditional resources superior
47%
21%
22%
7%
100%