This presentation was presented at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on February 21, 2019, on behalf of the Open Textbook Network.

1. SUPPORTING OPEN
TEXTBOOK ADOPTIONS
Michelle Reed, @LibrariansReed
Open Education Librarian, University of Texas at Arlington
@open_textbooks

3. Some stats: OTN
Systems &
Consortia
17 706 Institutions
Institutions81 81 Institutions
Members98 787 Institutions

4. 4

5. 3250 attendees
(250+ workshops)
Reviewers
Adopters
(45%)
~75% of workshops
are given by
members

6. Today, we will…
• Explore issues of affordability and their
impact on student academic success.
• Increase familiarity with open textbooks,
tools, and local open education initiatives.
• Discuss why and how you might support
open textbook initiatives.
6

7. 7

8. The cost barrier kept
2.4 million
low and moderate-income
college-qualified high school
graduates from completing college
in the previous decade.
The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED529499.pdf

9. $2,000
$3,000
$4,000
$5,000
$6,000
$7,000
$8,000
$9,000
$10,000
1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014
US Higher Education Funding - $/FTE
State Funding Tuition Revenue
http://www.sheeo.org

10. http://www.sheeo.org
Nebraska Higher Education Funding - $/FTE

11. The average borrower owes more than
$25,750
in student loans (class of 2017).
https://ticas.org/posd/map-state-data#overlay=posd/state_data/2018/ne
University of Nebraska-Lincoln: $22,918
Graduating students who have borrowed (any loan type, 2017):
52%

12. “Overall the study concluded
36 percent of college students
say they are food insecure.
Another 36 percent say they
are housing insecure, while 9
percent report being
homeless.”

13. What can we do?
• Tuition and Fees
• Room and Board
• Books and Supplies
• Personal Expenses
• Transportation

14. What can we do?
•
•
• Books and Supplies
•
•

15. 16Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics

17. The average student budgets
$1,240 – 1,440
on course materials in 2018 – 2019.
Source: College Board

18. Coping with the Cost
• Purchase an older edition of the textbook.
• Delay purchasing the textbook.
• Never purchase the textbook.
• Share a textbook.
• Download a textbook from the web.

19. 2012 2016
63.6% 66.5%
Not purchase the required
textbook
49.2% 47.6% Take fewer courses
45.1% 45.5% Not register for a specific course
33.9% 37.6% Earn a poor grade
26.7% 26.1% Drop a course
17.0% 19.8% Fail a course
In your academic career, has the cost of
required textbooks caused you to:

20. What do you hear?
https://youtu.be/r-zi8-4NN5I

21. Open education can
transform higher
education.

22. Our focus:
open textbooks

23. What do we mean by “open”?

25. open = free + permissions
copy mix
share keep
edit use

28. Why open?

29. Why textbooks?

30. connect educators
with open options
open.umn.edu/opentextbooks

31. open.umn.edu

32. comprehensive
referatory*
*All the books!

33. Criteria for inclusion
openly licensed*
*That means everything, including images.
✓ Portable file
✓ Complete textbook
✓ Institutional or scholarly society affiliation, or in use in more than one location
✓ Original (unless it’s a major overhaul for a new audience)

34. 11 Accounting & Finance
58 Business
56 Computer Science & Information Systems
19 Economics
33 Education
17 Engineering
117 Humanities
12 Journalism, Media Studies & Communications
54 Law
82 Mathematics
9 Medicine
54 Natural Sciences
48 Social Sciences
14 Student Success
514 Total Books (a book may be included in multiple subject areas)

35. https://twitter.com/open_textbooks/status/1095714759746506753

36. Where do the books come from?
• Funded initiatives
• Independent authors
• Discipline collectives
• Library publishers

38. Today, we asked University of Nebraska-
Lincoln educators to explore a book
in the open textbook library by writing a
review.

39. +
+

40. Open Textbook Review Criteria
• Comprehensiveness
• Content Accuracy
• Relevance Longevity
• Clarity
• Consistency
• Modularity
• Organization Structure Flow
• Interface
• Grammatical Errors
• Cultural Relevance

42. What “barriers” do you hear
(or anticipate hearing)
from faculty?

43. Common deterrents to adopting OER
-No comprehensive catalog.
-Too hard to find what I need.
-Not enough resources for my subject.
-Not knowing if I have permission to use or
change.
-Not relevant to my local context.
Babson Survey Research Group, 2014

44. We don’t know what we don’t know
We all have limited time:
• Prepping for their
courses
• Responding to students
• Grading
• Mentoring
• Research
• Grant writing
• Committee Work
• The list goes on…
http://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/openingthecurriculum2014.pdf

45. What does and could supporting
open textbook adoptions look like
at University of Nebraska-
Lincoln?

46. Low stakes
• Share resources:
– the Open Textbook Library,
– your website
– news
– research (http://openedgroup.org/)
• Reach out to today’s faculty participants
• Learn more about textbooks on your campus
– Talk to students
– Talk to faculty
• Outreach for current initiatives

47. +
+

55. A bit higher
• Student survey
• Student videos
• Partnerships: Center for Teaching and
Learning + Educational Services
• OT listserv/learning community
• Adopter awards, profiles, panels

56. Local
Data
Peer to
Peer

61. “It isn’t just affordable –
it’s affordable, and it’s
just as good a book.”

65. High stakes
• Grant programs (university, system,
state, or federal)
• OER pathways, Z-Degree programs
• OER-identified courses at registration
• Publishing open textbooks
• Hosting creation sprints

73. https://youtu.be/jRjTRza_I18

74. “It is awesome and cost effective for students who have limited income and it is a
great program which should be supported and highlighted in the college
mainstream.”
“Very great resources and relevant to course. Low cost materials helped focus
more on learning rather than worrying about how to pay for the education coming
from different resources that may cost money, which helped the grade overall.”
“I am very delighted that UTA is moving towards free or reduced-cost textbooks
that are online. I am a low-income student and these resources help me greatly.”

75. “I would like to know why
not all the subjects offer
free or reduced books.”

77. A few things to keep in mind…

78. Beware
of
demonizing

79. Don’t come to me with the
entire truth.
Don’t bring me the ocean if I
feel thirsty,
nor heaven if I ask for light.
-from Olav Hauge’s
“Don’t come to me with the entire truth,”
translated by Robert Bly
Try
not to
overwhelm

80. Respect
academic
freedom

81. Leave Quality Judgment to Faculty

82. OTN Resources

83. Are open textbooks effective? How
can we know?

84. • Based on the COUP
Framework
Cost
Outcomes
Use
Perceptions
• Designed to support all level
of inquiry and research
• Includes:
– Best Practices
– Workflows
– Decision making guidelines
– Documentation

85. How can I edit a textbook from the
open textbook library?

87. How do I write an open textbook?

89. What are
your next
steps?

90. Do what you do
• Listen
• Have conversations
• Introduce new
options

91. We need YOU
• You are leaders on your
campus
• You work with and
support faculty on your
campus
• You share resources,
options, ideas, and tools
with faculty

92. Celebrate achievements

93. Why?

94. “Open education is about increasing
student achievement, inspiring
passion among faculty, and building
better connections between students
and the materials that they use to
meet their educational goals.”
– Quill West

95. Thank you.
@open_textbooks
open.umn.edu