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Revamping Your Courses with EdTech Books!

Jennifer Ramsey

IPT 531 Final Presentation

Option 1: Make a Pitch

MSED faculty as chosen audience

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What are open textbooks?

  • An Open Education Resource (OER)
  • OER’s anything used in learning that has an open or public domain license. (Not copyrighted)
  • Open license means no cost to access
  • Users can retain, revise, remix, reuse, and redistribute
  • OER does not mean 100% free as in freedom, it can have restrictions (e.g., gratis ≠ libre)

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What are open textbooks?

More than replacing a print textbook with a digital version.

Use open textbooks to

  • improve student success
  • increase the number of students who benefit
  • save on costs $$$

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What is EdTech Books?

  • Similar to what you might be already using (YouTube, Wikipedia, Creative Commons)
  • OER’s are widely and easily consumed rather than created and shared
  • EdTech Books an online publishing platform for open textbooks that are free, reliable, and high quality.

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What is EdTech Books?

  • Currently the platform provides content to over 50,000 readers around the world
  • Provides high quality software tools and tech support: LMS integration, embedded formative check-ins, and audiovisual elements
  • Let’s you choose the kind of open license: CC-BY, CC BY-SA, CC BY-ND, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-SA, etc.

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What would using an open textbook look like?

  • Reduce and limit barriers to accessibility and equity
  • Text to audio
  • Translation
  • Access for all

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What would using an open textbook look like?

  • Open pedagogy practices such as student publishing
  • Increased engagement
  • Learning Analytics (engagement you can measure)

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Possible drawbacks of using open textbooks

  • No strong evidence that students grades will directly improve or that open textbooks cause learning
  • Although students consider OER to be as good or better in terms of quality and engagement as traditional texts.

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Possible drawbacks of using open textbooks

  • Time and Expertise barriers
  • Common negative perceptions towards the quality of open textbooks
  • Not as respected for the promotion and tenure process.
  • Sustainability, privacy and copyright fears

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Problem-solving with open textbooks

What else can you do with open access permissions?

Open Education Practices (mindset)

  • Students update, adapt, create OER

Embedded feedback

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Problem-solving with open textbooks

Real-time updates, learning material stays current

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A/B Testing for continuous improvement

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Next steps to get started

Email questions to admin@edtechbooks.org