Research Guides: Affordable Course Materials and Open Educational Resources (OER) for Faculty: Communicating the Value of OER

Appeal to Administration

Below are the most important resources you can use when helping administrators understand the value of OER:

Compelling Reasons to Adopt OER for Senior Management
Gives an explanation of OER specifically for administrators. Includes information on marketing, quality, productivity, and institutional reputation.
Lumen Learning Impact Meter
Adjust the meter to match the data from your institution. This is the potential impact OER could have for your students! Includes total amount of money students are spending on textbooks as well as how much each learning objective costs in comparison.
Open Textbooks: A Policy Guide
Provides current, relevant information on the textbook issue for students. Also gives sample programs and information on how to get grants and develop robust programs around OER.

Benefits of OER

	24/7 Access Students can access course materials from any internet connection.
	First Day Access All students have access to course materials by day 1 of class, if not earlier.
	Remove Financial Obstacles Remove the financial barriers that may result in students not purchasing materials and eliminate stress around locating more affordable or discounted copies.
	Customizable Materials Materials can be customized to match the teaching styles and the learning needs of students.

Effects of Textbook Costs

In 2018, over 21,000 students participated in the Florida Virtual Campus Student Textbook Survey, which examined how the cost of textbooks and course materials has impacted their education, purchasing behaviors and academic success.

A key finding of the 2018 survey indicates the high cost of textbooks continues to negatively impact student access, success, and completion.

Getting Support Checklist

Possible Stakeholders to Discuss OER with:

Department Head- what will support within the department be?
Dean- will there be administrative support? Can the school collaborate with other schools?
Bookstore- how should they be notified? How will this affect them? Could they play a role in printing or other distribution? Could students order OER directly from them?
Director of College LMS/ educational technology- considerations in loading and accessing content
ADA expert- how will these materials be accessible?

Resources

Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources Promo Kit
Includes a glossary, sample policies, marketing materials, and case studies to help get buy in from stakeholders. Be sure to download the needs assessment as a starting point.
CCCOER Policy Models
Mostly policies that R1 universities are currently implementing but can still be helpful as a framework.
Why OER Matter Handout from SPARC
Provides statistics about rising textbook costs.
Exploring the Business Case for OER Open Book
Explores the economics of adopting an OER policy in more detail, including how it can increase retention.
Why Open Education Matters Video
Simplistic video that can be shown to stakeholders to explain what basic open education is.
ACRL Post: Alternate Textbooks + Engaged Students = Retention Value
Covers cutting costs for students and impact.
JISC Guidelines
How digital technologies and improving digital literacy can meet students needs and improve student retention
COOL4Ed Faculty and Course Showcases

Guide Copyright, Permissions, and Attributions

This research guide was molded by Nicole Arnold and Nicole Carpenter, built off the work of Allegra Swift at UCSD and Elizabeth Salmon at UC Merced.