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OPEN TEXTBOOKS�Access, Affordability, Equity, and Academic �Success in the COVID-Era

MA OER Advisory Council October/November 2022

Department of Higher Education

By Open Education Network. Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed

under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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Land Acknowledgment

I’d like to begin this event by acknowledging that we are standing on the lands of many Indigenous nations:�� the Pawtucket

the Massachuset

the Nipmuc

Native Land Map, https://native-land.ca/

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What is OER?

Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.

https://en.unesco.org/themes/building-knowledge-societies/oer

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The New Normal: Using OER to re-open education

Covid is hard.

Working from home is hard.

Switching to and learning how to teach online is hard.

The New Normal: Using OER to re-open education (PDF)

Compiled by BCcampus under a CC BY 4.0 License, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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MA OER Advisory Council Charge

“The advisory council will serve to expand OER use on campuses and to provide advice and counsel for statewide OER implementation. The statewide OER Advisory Council and the statewide OER Coordinator are responsible for implementing the short-term recommendations and developing plans, after conducting additional research,

for how to implement the mid and long-

term recommendations.”

https://www.mass.edu/strategic/oer.asp

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Introductions: PANELISTS

Robert Awkward�Assistant Commissioner for Academic Effectiveness�Mass. Department of Higher Education�rawkward@dhe.mass.edu�@MassDHE

Jessica Birthisel�Associate Professor, Communication Studies�Bridgewater State University�jbirthisel@bridgew.edu

Theresa Dooley�Open Education Librarian�UMass Amherst�tdooley@umass.edu�@OpenTheresa

Karen Hines �Faculty �Berkshire Community College�khines@berkshirecc.edu �@freelancemkt

��

Cindy Mack�Student�Bridgewater State University�C1MACK@student.bridgew.edu

Elizabeth McKeigue

Dean of the Library

Salem State University

emckeigue@salemstate.edu

Andrea Milligan�Director, Center for Teaching, Learning, & Innovation�North Shore Community College�amilliga@northshore.edu �@acadtechnology

Sue Tashjian�Coordinator of Instructional Technology�Northern Essex Community College�stashjian@necc.mass.edu�@suetash

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Agenda

Define the problem.
Define open textbooks.
Explain what actions we can take.

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“…higher education shall be equally accessible to all”

JB

We are talking about an issue that is much broader than just textbooks. This is a social justice and an Equity issue.

When you read this, you might think of people around the world who don’t have physical access to higher education. But we’re also talking about here - in the US, where there are people who do not have equal access to higher education

Technically, the US never ratified this but was central to its creation and wording. ----- the fuller quote is, “Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.”

Here is the link http://www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org/human_rights_and_the_united_states

Suggestion: Contextualize this slide in the presentation as a reflection of how you feel about education and why you work with the OTN.

Consider asking attendees what "merit" might have meant to the drafters in 1948 and how might we think differently of it now.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/14/technology/coronavirus-digital-divide.html

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http://www.sheeo.org

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Survey at 10 community colleges (4312 students responding): 1 in 5 students were hungry, 13% were homeless.
23% of low-income sophomores worked a job between the hours of 10pm-8am.
A generation ago, public colleges/unis got an average of 75% of budget from state. Today, it's about 50%.
50-80% of sticker price comes from non-tuition costs.
The average net price for a year at community college equals 40% of a low-income family's annual income.
A year at public university ranges from 16-25% of a middle-class family's annual income.
60% of Americans ages 25-64 don't have a college credential, but 22% of them earned credits trying to get one.

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What are the biggest cost challenges facing a college student?

Tuition	61.65%
Course materials	39.56%
Housing costs	38.10%
Food expenses	31.02%
Living expenses	30.18%
Transportation	18.49%
Technology	15.45%
Additional school supplies	7.66%
Daycare	3.04%
Other	2.16%

Student Watch: Attitudes & Behaviors toward Course Materials. 2017-18 Report

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Federal Reserve http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/Current/

U.S. Debt

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https://sites.temple.edu/cufba/

https://www.studentbasicneeds.com/about

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https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/03/05/legislators-revisit-efforts-pass-hunger-free-campus-laws

https://www.qcc.edu/news/2021/02/legislation-filed-hunger-free-campus-coalition

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Cost of Attendance

Tuition and Fees
Room and Board
Books and Supplies
Personal Expenses
Transportation

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What can we as faculty do?

Tuition and Fees
Room and Board
Books and Supplies
Personal Expenses
Transportation

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Students are told to budget between

$1240 - $1440 for books and supplies each year.

What they are actually spending is more like $413 per year.

Why the difference?

https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/average-estimated-undergraduate-budgets-2018-19

https://www.nacs.org/student-spending-on-course-materials-continues-to-decline

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http://www.dailytoreador.com/news/library-student-government-hoping-for-solution-to-expensive-book-prices/article_490647b8-36d1-11e8-a857-9325559e8187.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/freshman-year/college-textbook-prices-have-risen-812-percent-1978-n399926

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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

Download textbooks from the internet

JB

So - How do students cope with the high costs and the academic impact of these decisions.

Some notes:

Delay purchasing: (This has become the rule, not the exception.) Students need to make a value judgements, and they most likely have had an experience where they purchased an expensive textbook that was never or rarely used. Students learn from that, and change their behavior. There is Research that indicates freshmen will buy their books more than sophomores, juniors, and seniors. When they learn - buying the textbook wasn’t necessary, they learn to wait.
And those on financial aid may not get their aid until three weeks into the term - so they are forced to wait
Never purchase: About ⅔ of students say that, at some time in their academic career, they didn’t purchase a required textbook, and about ⅓ admit they do this each term.
downloading textbook, is a legal risk with copyright violation - but many are doing it. The top four items aren’t legal risks, but all are academic risks.
Ask yourself, can a student succeed in my class without the required text, or workbook or other ancillary materials

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Is Inclusive Access the Same as OER?

Also known as Equitable Access, Auto Access, Day One Access, All Students Acquire, and automatic textbook billing, Inclusive Access is essentially a large-scale text rental program.

�Nine Questions OpenStax would have you ask About Inclusive Access Programs

	OER	Inclusive Access
Free	🗹
Customizable	🗹
Perpetual Access	🗹

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Inclusive Access

What is inclusive access?

It’s a content-delivery program (often managed by campus stores) which provides students with day-one access to digital course materials from publishers and vendors at a reduced cost.

How do inclusive access programs work?

Students get access to digital course materials on or before first day of class.
Content is usually linked to the campus LMS.
Access for enrolled students is free during a brief opt-out period at the beginning of the course.
If students opt out of buying the IA content by the deadline, their access disappears.

JB

One other part of the equation is Inclusive Access - it is another way that institutions are trying to address student cost for textbook and curricular materials.

What is it?

A: (It’s a content-delivery program (often managed by campus stores) which provides students with day-one access to digital course materials from publishers and vendors at a reduced cost)

It goes by a variety of names: McGraw-Hill, Wiley, Pearson, VitalSource, RedShelf use the term inclusive access, Macmillan uses Learning Ready, Follet is named includED, Barnes & Noble - First Day, to name a few.

How do IA programs work?

A: Exact details on how they work may vary, but they generally work like this:

(Students get access to digital course materials on or before the first day of class.
Content is usually linked to the campus LMS.
Access for enrolled students is free during a brief opt-out period at the beginning of the course.
If students opt out of buying the IA content by the deadline, their access disappears). If they don’t opt out, access continues and they’re automatically charged for the content.
Because opt-out rates tend to be low, publishers say they can afford to offer volume discounts. Some publishers advertise discounts up to 70%, but there is little pricing transparency.

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Inclusive Access	OER
Most Is Copyrighted With All Rights Reserved And Can’t Be Revised By Students Or Instructors	Customizable
Content Isn’t Free	It Is Free For Users To Read Online Or Download
It’s Only Accessible For A Limited Time	Offers Perpetual Access
And It Often Has Copy/Paste And Printing Restrictions	And Allows Unlimited Printing and Copying
Students Aren’t Allowed To Share Or Resell	Material Can Be Easily Shared

How do inclusive access programs differ from OER?

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In your academic career, has the cost of required textbooks caused you to:

https://dlss.flvc.org/documents/210036/1314923/2018+Student+Textbook+and+Course+Materials+Survey+Report+--+FINAL+VERSION+--+20190308.pdf/07478d85-89c2-3742-209a-9cc5df8cd7ea

64.2%	Not purchase the required textbook
42.8%	Take fewer courses
40.5%	Not register for a specific course
35.6%	Earn a poor grade
22.9%	Drop a course
18.1%	Withdraw from a course
17.2%	Fail a course

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Student Perspective

OER are a very important part of successful learning because it limits the textbooks you carry, but your resources are at your fingertips making it a rewarding learning experience while limiting the financial burden of paying for textbooks.

“

Cindy Mack

Cindy is an active member of the SAC and serves as the state university segmental representative on the Board of Higher Education

Graduated from Massasoit in May 2021, with a 3.8 GPA with Two Associates High Honors in Criminal Justice and Human Services, and a Certificate in Law Enforcement. Currently pursuing my Baccalaureate in Criminal Justice with a minor in Political Science holding a current 3.79 GPA.

I struggled to pay for textbooks every semester, and I was taking 9 courses 7of which had textbooks, I did not know what OER was, but having OER implemented in my courses changed my entire outlook on achieving my academic success, not just for me but for many students. This is a very important part of successful learning because it limits the textbooks you carry, but your resources are at your fingertips making it a rewarding learning experience and limiting the financial burden of paying for textbooks. Please feel free to edit as needed, thank you again.

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Cindy Mack

Pursuing Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice at BSU with a 3.79 GPA

Graduated from Massasoit CC in 2021

(3.80 GPA)

Struggled to pay for textbooks each semester

Two AS Degrees and Certificate

Having OER implemented in my courses changed my entire outlook on achieving my academic success.

“

Segmental Advisor State Universities, Board of Higher Education.

Member Students Advisory Council, Board of Higher Education.

Executive Member Open Educational Resources Committee.

Graduated from Massasoit in May 2021, with a 3.8 GPA with Two Associates High Honors in Criminal Justice and Human Services, and a Certificate in Law Enforcement. Currently pursuing my Baccalaureate in Criminal Justice with a minor in Political Science holding a current 3.79 GPA.

I struggled to pay for textbooks every semester, and I was taking 9 courses 7 of which had textbooks, I did not know what OER was, but having OER implemented in my courses changed my entire outlook on achieving my academic success, not just for me but for many students. This is a very important part of successful learning because it limits the textbooks you carry, but your resources are at your fingertips making it a rewarding learning experience and limiting the financial burden of paying for textbooks.

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Any questions?

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A Solution:�Open Textbooks

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$

Publisher

Textbook

$

Students

Author

College / University

Textbook

$

Students

Author

Foundations

Government

Consortia

$

EMK (10/26), TD (11/3)

*Note: (I’ve removed all the animations to simplify. -EM).

The model on the left represents how we assume all publishing happens:

A publisher invests in publishing a textbook
Students buy the books [click]
The publisher makes its money back, and a profit [click]
The publisher pays royalties to the author (typically single-digit percentage)

But there’s another model (on the right):

[click]

A college or university publishes a textbook - they might put out an RFP to their faculty

[click]

Part of the funding is paying faculty up front for the efforts of authors
At times, especially early in the open movement, funding came to the institutions from the outside [click] (from foundations, government, consortia), [click] but institutions are increasingly deciding to self-fund these efforts
This model allows the textbook to be free, and available to be freely shared, copied, and more

So, the publishing process could be exactly the same in the two models, including peer review, copy editing, - just as rigorous a process in the model on the right as in the model on the left. So it is possible to publish a free textbook while also respecting the effort of the author!

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$

Publisher

Textbook

$

Students

Author

College / University

Textbook

$

Students

Author

EMK (10/26), TD (11/3)

*Note: (I’ve removed all the animations to simplify. -EM).

But! There is one more thing that comes into play in both these models:

Copyright. If we released a book without copyright, how many would we sell? Just the one, right? And then everyone would copy that one. So copyright is important and necessary, but when we want to share knowledge, it becomes a restriction.

[click]

This model wouldn’t work if copyright protections didn’t exist.

[click]

Books published this way also have copyright!
If the intent is that the book could be freely copied and shared, then copyright isn’t sufficient.
To give instructors and students the intended rights to copy and share content, we need the publisher to give the textbook a license that allows users to do these things. This is legal permission to do what you agreed to do.

So, that’s what this model needs--a license that tells the teachers and learners that it’s okay to share it. While copyright is really important, it’s just not sufficient. So that license is...

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All Rights

Reserved

Some Rights

Reserved

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With Creative Commons licenses,

you are free to:

copy	mix
share	keep
edit	use

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College / University

Textbook

$

Students

Author

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Attribution

You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your copyrighted work — and derivative works based upon it — but only if they give credit the way you request.

Share Alike

You allow others to distribute derivative works only under a license identical to the license that governs your work.

Non

Commercial

You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform your work — and derivative works based upon it - but for noncommercial purposes only.

No Derivative Works

You let others copy, distribute, display, and perform only verbatim copies of your work, not derivative works based upon it.

[BY]

[SA]

[NC]

[ND]

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To Find Out More About CC Licenses: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/

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copy	mix
share	keep
edit	use

OER = free + permissions

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OER: Where do the books come from?

Funded initiatives
Independent authors
Discipline collectives
Library publishing

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https://blog.taaonline.net/2019/02/taa-announces-2019-textbook-award-winners/

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Are There Ancillaries?

OpenStax Hub�A venue for instructors to share ancillary materials that they have created to pair with OpenStax textbooks.

PHET Interactive Simulations (PHET SIMS) �Free, interactive, research-based science and mathematics simulations that cover topics taught in K-12 and higher education contexts, with primary coverage for Physics, Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Earth Science.

MyOpenMath �Free, open source, online course management system for mathematics and other quantitative fields

LibreTexts �Contains resources for thirteen subject areas, and its content has been adopted for more than 150 courses.

Adapted from https://libguides.csudh.edu/oer/ancillary

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Introductory, algebra-based, two-semester college physics

1272 pages

Available in

PDF

Print

Web

Bookshare (accessible)

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Student Resources

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Instructor Resources

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Third Party Resources

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oer.deepwebaccess.com

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oasis.geneseo.edu

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open.umn.edu/opentextbooks

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Any questions?

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“…higher education shall be equally accessible to all”

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How else can open textbooks improve student success?

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Content Customization
Contextualization
Inclusion
Opportunities for Innovative Pedagogy

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Content Customization

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Contextualization

Localization

Same book but edited--Canadian edition (Sometimes, people will laugh), but if you ask what is different - spelling, language use, society, etc. will come up. If you are a Canadian student learning from an American book, wouldn’t that be off putting? CC licenses allow for this customization.

Left: Open Textbook created at Rice University (OpenStax)

Right: A derivative of the textbook on the left made by BCcampus - “Canadian Edition.”

Ask participants what might be different in a Canadian edition. (spelling, measurements, different government systems, the context of Canadian society, etc!)

Canadian students shouldn’t have to learn Sociology in the US context. By making a Canadian edition, it allows students to learn within a context that they’re familiar with.

Contextualization can also be regional or local - provide examples related to the state, local area, specific institution.

Allows students to see themselves in the material.

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Inclusion: Diversifying and Amplifying Voices

https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/knowinghome/

Open education can also empower inclusion by diversifying and amplifying underserved voices. This open licensed book modified a science book with rich indigenous examples with an overarching theme of a braid because the editors suggested that “When we braid Indigenous Science with Western Science we acknowledge that both ways of knowing are legitimate forms of knowledge.”

The book provides a window into the vast storehouse of innovations and technologies of the Indigenous peoples who live in Northwestern North America. The editors hope that the Indigenous Science examples, research and curriculum models will inspire deep reflection regarding this under-representation of Aboriginal students in the sciences.

This book centers an Indigenous perspective and is co-authored by an Indigenous scholar.

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Inclusion: Acknowledging and Addressing Disparities

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Contextualization

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Innovative Pedagogy: Open Pedagogy Example

Now I would like to provide an example of open pedagogy as an example of how open textbooks can be used to produce innovative pedagogy.

Open pedagogy is a model whereby faculty engage students as co-creators in knowledge and curriculum. This book, An Ecological Approach to Obesity and Eating Disorders, is an example of open pedagogy.

An Ecological Approach to Obesity and Eating Disorders is the work of students at Clemson University’s Public Health Science in collaboration with Clemson Libraries. The students wanted to be an information guide on various weight-related challenges for the general public. The goals of this project were to meet the course (HLTH 4150 - Obesity and Eating Disorders) learning objective of understanding weight issues and to develop a product for the general public to use as a resource for these health conditions.

The students divided the chapters up based on the five levels of the Ecological Model as this public health issue is just not one person’s individual responsibility. In addition to writing his/her individual chapter, each person also peer-reviewed all chapters and provided feedback which allowed for deeper understanding of weight issues. Editing duties were self-selected and completed during the last revision of the book. The end of the semester feedback from the students were overwhelmingly positive.

https://pressbooks.pub/btugman/

https://openpedagogy.org/course-level/an-ecological-approach-to-obesity-and-eating-disorders/

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Opportunities for Innovative Pedagogy

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Open Pedagogy

Here are some additional examples of what you can do with a CC license in terms of open pedagogy and oer-enabled pedagogy.

Open pedagogy and oer-enabled pedagogy is a set of teaching and learning practices that utilize the 5R permission characteristics of OER to engage students in “renewable assignments” instead of “disposable assignments”.

Students are creating new or improved OER to contribute to the broader learning community.

Created by Robin deRosa with help from undergrad students as they curated texts already in the Public Domain and free of copyright restrictions. Early American Literature includes introductions, context, etc. Students in her class created introductions, discussion questions, assignments and occasionally short films related to the texts and then they are sharing it back. They are paying it forward and improving this anthology and then it helps everyone. Someone else is now adding in native voices.

More about this project: http://robinderosa.net/uncategorized/my-open-textbook-pedagogy-and-practice/

This book is being expanded upon for use outside of her class.

https://press.rebus.community/openamlit/

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“Open textbooks save money, which matters deeply to our students. But they can also create a new relationship between learners and course content, and if teachers choose to acknowledge and enable this, it can have a profound effect on the whole fabric of the course.” - Robin DeRosa

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Students Creating the Test Bank

“My small class of 35

students wrote 1400

questions in the span

of 10 weeks. ”

With Creative Commons licenses, students can even help faculty create the test bank; it’s an example of active learning that creates new things for other students and teachers to learn from and use!

One example from the Open Pedagogy Notebook is on students creating the quiz bank. There is a need for ancillary material to accompany open textbooks. In this instance, Rajiv Jhangiani turned the need back to his students.

In this post, he shares his goals for his students (“to achieve a deeper level of understanding”), he discusses his purpose (his open textbook needed ancillaries); the method he used for having his students craft and peer review multiple choice questions; the guidelines he provided for writing effective questions and providing constructive peer feedback; and what he and his students learned from the assignment.

http://openpedagogy.org/assignment/why-have-students-answer-questions-when-they-can-write-them-by-rajiv-jhangiani/

And he is not alone.

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openpedagogy.org

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Breadth of Material

As a part-time faculty member, I use OER as the primary learning materials in my class, Internet for 21st Century Teaching and Learning. I use OER for several reasons.

As the course is for educators and educational technologists, OER is an important topic to cover as we look at the impact of the Internet on teaching and learning. We explore OER in the course but, by using OER, it helps students see OER as an option for content and learning materials. I am putting the concept into practice.

OER also allows me to utilize a variety of learning materials and not be tied to a specific textbook. I can just use the portions that I need. This is helpful as the topics covered often change each semester.

Also, OER can help also help me find more current materials as they are often easier to release and/or update.

Many of the open textbooks I use are from EdTech Books, https://edtechbooks.org/.

One example: Torrey Trust worked with EDU 593A (Teaching & Learning with Technology) students to create an open "Innovating Teaching & Learning with Technology" textbook.

The book was designed as part of a class project for the Teaching & Learning with Technology course at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

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What can faculty do?

Take a look!
Write a review!
Adopt if a book meets the needs for you and your students
Raise awareness - talk with colleagues in your program and department

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Writing a Review

Is there a textbook in the Open Textbook Library that fits your class and/or expertise?

Incentive will be paid for:

attending this workshop, and
reviewing a textbook in the Open Textbook Library

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Open Textbook Review Criteria

Comprehensiveness
Accuracy
Relevance
Clarity
Consistency
Modularity
Organization Structure Flow
Interface
Grammatical Errors
Cultural Relevance

These are criteria that you will recognize….
Comprehensiveness: text covers all areas and ideas of subject appropriately and provides an effective index / glossary
Accuracy: error-free and unbiased.
Relevance longevity: up to date, necessary updates will be relatively easy to implement
Clarity: lucid, accessible prose and provides adequate context fo any jargon / technical terminology used.
Consistency: internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework
Modularity: easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at dif points within the course. Not overly self-referential, should be easily reorg’d and realigned with various subunits of a course without presenting much disruption to reader.
Flow: topics presented in a logical, clear fashion
Interface: text is free of sig interface issues (navigation, distortion of images / charts, or other display failures)
Grammar: no errors
Cultural relevance: not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. Use examples that are inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities, and backgrounds�

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The Review Process

You will receive an email with a link to the online review form from OEN.
Complete a concise review by December 9, 2022.
The review will be posted on the Open Textbook Library under an open license.
Incentive check will be paid by OEN (University of Minnesota) and mailed to your designated address.

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5th Annual Northeast OER Summit

April 4 - April 5 virtually through �University of Massachusetts Amherst

Mark your calendars. Stay tuned for more information!!

https://neoer.umasscreate.net/

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Questions? MA OER Advisory Council Members�https://www.mass.edu/strategic/oer.asp#members Also, reach out to your campus librarians and instructional designers

Open Textbook Library: open.umn.edu/opentextbooks

Open Education Network. Except where otherwise noted, this work is �licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.