Why using OER?

28% do not buy all educational materials 85% take classes without books

In a CSUF survey completed by 9,697 students during Fall 2016, only 28% reported buying all of their required textbook/instructional materials every semester. Of those surveyed, 82% said the reason why they did not buy or rent required course materials was that they were too expensive. The California State University is committed to seeking new ways to provide equitable access to free or low-cost learning materials and remove financial barriers to student success as part of the CSU’s  Graduation Initiative 2025 .

FACT  

CSUF faculty could replace costly textbooks with OER
to lower the cost of education for their students!

 

At CSUF we  are seeing growth in OER adoption among faculty, the savings had been of over $150,000 in 2 years of using OER and other AL$ options.  At this time, we have about 50-course sections using OER and/or other no-cost-to-students options (library or web resources).  Classes that use  these options are marked in the catalogue with an special symbol that is getting recognized by students.

zero cost logo Zero-cost-to-student symbol

OER related Articles and Books

Adoption Finder, a list of open textbooks used in post secondary coursesOpens in new window by BCcampus

Models for Sustainable OERPDF File Opens in new window by Stephen Downer, National Research Council Canada

Fixing the Broken Textbook Market by Cailyn Nagle and Kaitlyn Vitez, U.S. PIRG Education Fund

College tuition and fees increase 63 percent since January 2006  by Bureau of Labor Stadistics

Open:  The Philosophy and Practices that are Revolutionizing Education and Science , edited by Rajiv S. Jhangiani and Robert Biswas-Diener. A collection of articles related to OER

A Basic Guide to Open Educational Resources PDF File prepared by Neil Butcher for the Commonwealth of Learning and UNESCO

7 Things You Should Know About OER PDF File by Educause

Adopting Open Educational Resources in the Classroom by LUMEN learning

OER Research Guidebook PDF File by John Hilton III, David Wiley, Lane Fischer, and Rob Nyland

Where Are All the Faculty in the Open Education Movement? by Jasmine Roberts

How Textbook Rentals Undercut Students by Sheila Liming

Ten Facts About Open Educational Resources (OER)PDF File by Contact North, Government of Ontario