OER Digest – March 30, 2023

Michael Basmajian (PIRG) | Volume 169 | March 30, 2023

THE OER DIGEST
Your monthly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

FEDERAL OER BILL: Congress Introduces Bill to Tackle College Textbook Costs

This week, Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced the Affordable College Textbook Act in the U.S. Congress. The bill would establish a grant program for the creation and use of free, openly licensed textbooks, while also strengthening federal price disclosure requirements for textbook publishers and institutions. If passed, the program would build on the success of the Open Textbook Pilot which is already projected to save students an estimated $250 million since its creation in 2018. Read More >>

GRANT OPPORTUNITY: Federal Open Textbooks Pilot Program

The Open Textbooks Pilot program is a U.S. federal grant program that supports projects at institutions of higher education that create or expand the use of open textbooks to achieve savings for students. The program is funded by Congress and administered by the U.S. Department of Education through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). Visit the 2023 Notice Inviting Applications in the Federal Register for the official details and how to apply. Applications are due May 16, 2023.

NEW REPORT: Open Textbooks: The Billion Dollar Solution (2nd edition)
Last month, the Student PIRGs released a new report on campus OER programs. The report compiles data from a survey of 61 OER grant programs in 32 U.S. states and British Columbia that have, to date, saved students more than $310 million in textbook costs. Key findings from the report include that every dollar invested in OER grants can save students $10-20 dollars, the majority of grant programs are receiving little to no institutional support, and best practices include building a team to support the program and establishing a consistent recording keeping system. Read the summary and download the full report here. 

OPEN CONNECTIONS
Conferences, jobs, and other OER-related opportunities

OPEN ED WEEK RECAP: Earlier this month (March 6-10) was Open Education Week! Open Education Global has compiled a YouTube playlist of videos from their OEWeek Live series. Check it out here.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: OpenEd23 is inviting proposals for live and pre-recorded virtual sessions to be held on November 7-9. Proposals are enthusiastically welcomed from everyone with an interest in sharing about open education, especially student presenters. Submit a proposal or sign up to be a reviewer. 

REGISTER NOW: Kennesaw State University in Georgia invites you to their inaugural celebration of All Things Open Week! Their virtual events will take place April 3-7, 2023, with most events beginning at 12:00 PM each day. See the schedule and register here.

APPLY NOW: Xavier University of Louisiana’s University Library is seeking dynamic, engaging, and collaborative professional librarians to virtually join their Library Team. This team of remote Librarians will provide a range of virtual services to the University’s students, faculty, and community including supporting OER. Learn more and apply here.

STORIES FROM THE FIELD

Quick snapshots of those making change on the ground level, and those impacted

FROM MICHIGAN: Washtenaw Community College’s OER program has recently surpassed the $10 million savings mark. The college embarked on its OER program in 2017 and this year launched its first “Z-degree,” or zero textbook cost degree, an Associate in Science: General Studies in Math & Natural Sciences, to join four Z-certificates in business and 325 general education course section offerings. “Saving $178 is a big deal,” said a WCC student who benefitted from the program. “To be honest, if I had to come up with $178 right now, something else might have to go unpaid — like my car insurance or my car loan payment.” Read More >>

FROM KANSAS: Barton Community College celebrated a milestone in its OER initiative by certifying its 100th course. The three-credit-hour Computer Concepts and Applications course joined the OER line-up to help make Barton classes more accessible and affordable for students. “Many of my students, both online and on-campus, made inadequate attempts to complete the course without the textbook because it is expensive,” said instructor Deanna Heier. “Cost saving is great, but a student’s opportunity for success increases with the new course transition. It is one barrier that could be resolved for both the course and degree with this OER revision.” Read More >>

FROM ARIZONA: Mohave Community College Life Science Instructor Eric Osborn was recently honored as an “OER Hero” by a higher education group called Open Textbooks for Rural Arizona. Osborn has been building and publishing OER for the past five years and recently put together a free chemistry lab manual that replaced the $200 traditional manual required for the class. “Many of my students breathed a sigh of relief when I explained that all materials are now free for the course,” Osborn said. “For some of my students, buying a $300 textbook is a month of groceries or a month of bills or the gas to get to work and school or the daycare they need for their children.” Read More >>

HOT OFF THE PRESS

Each edition, we highlight an interesting, new, openly-licensed resource

Northern Essex Community College in Massachusetts recently unveiled their first open textbook, titled “The Whole Child: Development in the Early Years”. The book, written by Early Childhood Education Professors Doris Buckley and Deirdre Budzyna, replaces a commercial textbook that would cost students $174. This resource was created as part of the Remixing Open Textbooks through an Equity Lens (ROTEL) project in Massachusetts, funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

WEIGH IN

Great reads to repost or share and interesting discussions to consider

Great to Share >>

College students are struggling with the cost of textbooks. There's a push in Congress to make them free. | Business Insider

College Textbooks Are Still a Racket… But They Don’t Have to Be: Reflections From Sacramento’s Policy Lunch and Learn | Michelson 20MM Foundation

Interesting to Consider >>

Should students have to buy textbooks? | The JTAC

The FBI cracks down on pirated e-book libraries | The Stony Brook Press

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The OER Digest is a public newsletter distributed to a broad group of stakeholders across the higher education community. Subscribe here.