using and adapting open textbooks
TRANSCRIPT
Using and Adapting Open
TextbooksHeather M. Ross
Educational Developer
University of Saskatchewan
August 24, 2016
Overview• What’s the problem?
• What are open textbooks?
• Why should we integrate them at USask?
• What’s already happening at USask?
• What are the barriers?
• How do we integrate them?
• Now what?
Problem
Since 1977
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2015
http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/freshman-year/college-textbook-prices-have-risen-812-
percent-1978-n399926
Rate of Inflation 308%
Textbook price increases 1,041%
The Academic Impact• Purchase an older edition of the textbook
• Delay purchasing the textbook
• Never purchase the textbook
63.6% Not purchase the required textbook
49.2% Take fewer courses
45.1% Not register for a specific course
33.9% Earn a poor grade
26.7% Drop a course
17.0% Fail a course
In your academic career, has the cost of required textbooks caused you to:
http://www.openaccesstextbooks.org/pdf/2012_Florida_Student_Textbook_Survey.pdf
What are Open Textbooks?
• "Free"
• Adaptable
• Sharable
• Instructor Written
• Peer Reviewed
Adaptable• Minor to major changes
• Combine with existing materials
o Photographs
o Music
o Assignments
o Textbooks
“Free”• Replace expensive commercial texts
• Funding from:
o Governments (SK, AB, BC)
o Foundations (Hewlett, Gates)
o Institutions (including “in-kind”)
Sharable• Students, other educators, and public
• Repositories
• Open websites
Instructor Written• Teach the topic
• Frequently in teams
• Students may contribute*
Peer Reviewed• Reviews posted openly in repositories
• Anyone in discipline can review
• Reviews taken into consideration for future editions
Why Should We Integrate • Cost savings for students
• Access for learners
• Customization (revise & remix)
• Efficiency
• Community
• Reputation
First Adoption We Knew About
• Winter 2015
• Principles of Economics (OpenStax)
• Agriculture and Bioresource
• 270 students
• Out of the box
Known Adoptions at USask
• College of Agriculture and Bioresource
• Edwards School of Business
• Department of Chemistry
• Department of History*
• Department of Sociology
• 2015 - 2016 academic year – 900+ students = $90,000+
savings
Edwards School of Business
• Adoption for Fall 2015
• 360 students
• Adapting Study Skills (Open Textbook Library)
As of 2016-2017• Adoptions – Agriculture & Bioresource, Arts & Science,
ESB, Nursing, WCVM, JSGS
• Approximately 1,750 students = $185,000
• Total since 2014-2015 = approx. $300,000
• Open textbooks in production
o 2nd Year Biology
o Engineering Economics
o ESB*
o 2 in Geography & Planning*
o WCVM**
Funding• Adaptations
• Ancillary Resources (test bank questions, slides, etc.)
Creative Commons
Getting Started• Find a resource – open.usask.ca
• Review an open textbook
• Talk with GMCTE about open resources and open
pedagogy
• Talk with colleagues about collaboration
• Think about:o Can I use this resource as is?
o What would I need to / get to change about my course?
o How much change can I do to start?
o Who could I work with on this?
Adopt• Find a resource
• Ancillary resources:
1. Are there existing ancillary resources?
2. Do you need to adapt / add to existing resources?
3. Do you need to create new resources?
• Let me know!
• Let the bookstore know.
Adapt• Find a resource
• Adaptation:
1. Big or small changes?
2. When?
3. Who can / should you work with?
4. What about ancillary resources?
• Let me know!
Pressbooks
Open Pedagogy• Alternative to “throw away” assignments
• Use OER to allow student collaboration
• Students as creators / adaptors
• Textbooks, Wikipedia, other OER
Support• GMCTE
• Distance Education Unit
• Library
• Media Production
• Bookstore
Now What?• What’s your need?
• Let’s have a look – open.usask.ca
Questions and Comments
(306)966-5327
open.usask.ca
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view
a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.