Use this brief to learn more about open educational resources and the role they play in increasing student equity.
An important component of the college affordability conversation is the rising cost of course materials. According to the College Board, the average college student should budget more than $1,200 per year for textbooks and supplies. Similarly, an analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data found that between 1977 and 2015 the cost of textbooks has increased by 1,041%.
This rise in the price of textbooks and supporting materials has serious student success implications as students delay purchasing textbooks or even decide which course to take based on the cost of materials.
To overcome these hurdles, institutions often prioritize large enrollment courses with costly textbooks. Many faculty and staff use existing rubrics to check the accuracy, relevance, and accessibility of available resources before including them in their courses.
This resource is part of the Facilitate Student-Centered Course Redesign Roadmap. Access the Roadmap for stepwise guidance with additional tools and research.
Some institutions leverage the expertise in their libraries and centers for teaching and learning (CTL) or hire dedicated OER support staff to help facilitate campus-wide adoption.
To fully realize the potential pedagogical benefits of open educational resource use, faculty can work with their CTLs to redesign their courses. This can take many forms: faculty may need to redesign courses to use non-textbook materials or to create a cohesive narrative around disparate learning materials. However, the extent to which some of these challenges inhibit broader adoption often depends on the approach used, available resources,…