PedRIO, Plymouth University4th April 2017

Could open textbooks improve the experience of

all students?Dr Vivien Rolfe, UWE Bristol

vivrolfe.com @vivienrolfe #OpenEdSig

BCcampus Open Textbook Project, 2012

Openly licensed textbooks in a range of subject disciplinesCollaborative author / peer-review processesMultiple formats (free for students) plus low-cost printEasily ‘adopted’ and ‘adapted’ by staffAbout ‘access’ and ‘reuse’

OpenStax.org, open source platform at Rice University US, 2012

Openly licensed textbooks in a range of subject disciplinesCollaborative author / peer-review processesMultiple formats (free for students) plus low-cost printEasily ‘adopted’ and ‘adapted’ by staffAbout ‘access’ and ‘reuse’

OpenStax.org, open source platform at Rice University US, 2012

Open Educational Resource OER ”teaching, learning and research materials in any medium…that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-

cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution” (UNESCO 2002)

Openly licensed textbooks in a range of subject disciplinesCollaborative author / peer-review processesMultiple formats (free for students) plus low-cost printEasily ‘adopted’ and ‘adapted’ by staffAbout ‘access’ and ‘reuse’

OpenStax.org, open source platform at Rice University US, 2012

Open Educational Resource OER ”teaching, learning and research materials in any medium…that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-

cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution” (UNESCO 2002)

“Open education is used here to designate a general approach to teaching and learning…views the teacher more as a facilitator of learning than a transmitter of

knowledge, and abundant alternatives and choice for students” (Barth 1972)

“Teachers are willing to use digital resources available online but are concerned that in most cases the materials are protected by copyright and fear of committing plagiarism” (UNESCO 2013)

Poland, Digital eSchools Programme and legislation 2012

Africa, Siyavula open education project, Shuttleworth-funded 2007

“A group of students get together with the conviction that they need to share their knowledge, for free” (Siyavula 2007)

Financial problems are a major cause ofstudents leaving college / university in the US,confounded by escalating textbook and study prices (Goldrick-rab 2016)

What about the UK?

127 272 349

863

1612

17 36 47 115 215

£712 £1,524 £1,956 £4,834 £9,026

5 coretextbooks

Travel Food Rent TOTAL

Work required (based on minimum wage) to afford university books and costs (£5.60 for a

18-20 year old)

Hours work Days work

Nearly 50% of students graduating in

2015 moved back home with debt

worries (NUS 2015)

Data: 5 core biomedical science textbooks; Other data: NUS 2010.

Audit of student perceptions and needs

• 2015 textbook audit of n=69 science students at UWE and DMU.• Questioned on their textbook purchasing habits and attitudes to books in

general.

• BSc Biomedical Science (n=18)• BSc Forensic Science (n=33)• BSc Biological Science (n=4)• BSc Healthcare Science (n=11)• BSc Conservation and Environmental Sciences (n=3)

Year 1 (n=18); Year 2 (n=7); Year 3 (n=39) and returning placement students (n=5)

• Processes for recommending texts in Module Handbooks and via Blackboard.

Book spending and attitudes

• 57 students (estimated or itemised book costs) and 12 purchased no books = average spend was £183.

• The maximum spend was £900.• One student listed they had purchased 13 different texts.

• 88% of students claimed to have skipped purchasing a textbook because of the price (61 students).

• 80% thought purchasing textbooks was an important part of their studies.

• 6 students claimed to have changed their course because of the cost of books associated with it.

What students think

74% are working during their course or holidays to support their studies.

They're not used in study by lecturers, and the lecturers don't set reading from them, but they're useful for reading around the subject at clarifying anything that one is unsure of. It does seem like a lot of money to spend on books that we aren't asked to read for assignment or use in class.

Conclusions

• We know little about textbook cultures and contexts in the UK and further research is needed.

• Students want books as part of their education experience but are confused which to buy and are disappointed they then aren’t used by lecturers.

• With ‘core’ open textbooks available – there is no excuse for not providing these to students now –via our teaching and library collections (many already are).

• Open textbooks have the potential to increase equity, empower teachers and reduce the price.

New project!

Teachers / librarians:

Let me know if you would liketo ‘adopt’ an open textbook in yourteaching in September 2017and be part of our Open Textbook Project.

@vivienrolfevivien.rolfe ‘at’ gmail.com#UKOER#OpenEdSig (ALT special interest group)

http://vivrolfe.com/blog/open-textbook-mashup/

Further information

Barth RS (1972). Open Education and the American School.

Goldrick-Rab Sara (2016). Paying the price: College costs, financial aid, and the betrayal of the American dream. University of Chicago Press.

Poland Digital School Programme: http://centrumcyfrowe.pl/english/digital-school-e-textbooks-program-a-year-and-a-half-later/

Siyavula (2007). Open Textbook Project.http://www.siyavulaeducation.com/about-history.html

UNESCO (2002). Forum on the impact of open courseware for higher education in developing countries. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001285/128515e.pdf

UNESCO (2013). Open Educational Resources in Poland. http://iite.unesco.org/pics/publications/en/files/3214727.pdf