Textbooks are one of the fastest growing college expenses in the United States, with prices rising more than four times the rate of inflation and individual books costing $100-200 a piece. This webinar will delve into the issues behind the high cost of textbooks and how open education is gaining momentum as a solution, incorporating the latest research and success stories from across the country.
Global Lehigh Strategic Initiatives (without descriptions)
2012-03-06 Open Education and Solving the Textbook Cost Crisis
1. Open Education and Solving
the Textbook Cost Crisis
Open Education Week
March 2012 • #openeducationwk
Nicole Allen
The Student PIRGs
www.studentpirgs.org/textbooks
nicole@studentpirgs.org
twitter @txtbks
studentpirgs.org
2. “Student loan debt
outpaced credit card debt
for the first time last year
and is likely to top a trillion
dollars this year.”
studentpirgs.org
33. Open Licensing
Standard Open Public Domain
All Rights Some Rights No Rights
Reserved Reserved Reserved
studentpirgs.org
34. Open Licensing
Rights: Conditions:
• Freely use the • All: Credit the author
work • Some: Share under
• Adapt, remix, revis same license
e the content • Some: Use must be
• Create and not for profit
distribute copies
studentpirgs.org
35. Open Licensing
System of standardized open licenses
www.creativecommons.org
Attribution Attribution No Derivs
(BY) (BY-ND)
Attribution Share-Alike Attribution Non-
(BY-SA) Commercial
(BY-NC)
Attribution Non- Attribution Non-
Commercial Share-Alike Commercial No Derivs
(BY-NC-SA) (BY-NC-ND)
studentpirgs.org
38. Open
Calculus
Textbook
OpenTextBookStore.org
studentpirgs.org
39. Open
Econ 101
Textbook
FlatWorldKnowledge.com
$35 pdf
studentpirgs.org
40. Open Textbooks
Criteria 1: Quality
• Covers similar content, with
exercises and illustrations
• Written and reviewed by experts
• Used at Harvard, Caltech, UCLA…
studentpirgs.org
41. Open Textbooks
Criteria 2: Cost
• Freely available online to everyone
• Downloadable and printable at a
low cost
• Hard copies typically cost $20-40
and can be sold at the bookstore
studentpirgs.org
42. Open Textbooks
Criteria 3: Fit
• Open license allows instructors to
adapt the text to fit the class
• Update in real time (but no
unnecessary new editions)
studentpirgs.org
43. Maximum Savings
Open Textbooks 80%
Rentals 33%
E-Books 8%
E-Readers 1%
Source: www.studentpirgs.org/textbooks/research
studentpirgs.org
44. Savings from switching
to open textbooks.
Physics Calculus Economics
185 Students 150 Students 90 Students
$24,575 $20,115 $10,114
4 Years Tuition Down Payment $75,000 401(k)
At Iowa State On First Home after 40 years
Source: www.studentpirgs.org/textbooks/research
studentpirgs.org
48. What’s the catch?
There isn’t one.*
* Obviously there are still some challenges.
studentpirgs.org
49. OER Models
Individuals
• Wider distribution of
work
Robert Beezer
• Sabbatical projects “The world didn’t need
another linear algebra
book. It needed a free
• Personal motivation one.”
linear.ups.edu
studentpirgs.org
50. OER Models
Institutions
• Pool resources with
Community College
other colleges with Consortium for OER
similar needs More than 200 colleges
working to review,
• Provide support to create and promote
OER.
faculty who use OER oerconsortium.org
• Pass OER policies
studentpirgs.org
51. OER Models
Institutions
• Pool resources with
University of Minnesota
other colleges with
Creating an online
similar needs catalog of reviewed
open textbooks, and
• Provide support to providing support to
faculty
faculty who use OER open.umn.edu
• Pass OER policies
studentpirgs.org
52. OER Models
Institutions
• Pool resources with
UMASS Amherst
other colleges with Libraries
similar needs Provided small grants
to faculty to help
• Provide support to transition to OER,
saved students $72,000
faculty who use OER per year!
open.umn.edu
• Pass OER policies
studentpirgs.org
54. OER Models
Government
• Invest in “generic”
WA recently launched
OER content that OER library for its 81
can be localized largest courses.
The 1st year will save
• Require open license students $1.3 million.
for all taxpayer
opencourselibrary.org
funded resources
studentpirgs.org
55. OER Models
Government
• Invest in “generic”
US Dept. of Labor
OER content that created $2 billion
can be localized grant program to
improve job training.
• Require open license The first wave of
for all taxpayer grants required a CC
BY license on all
funded resources materials created.
studentpirgs.org
56. OER Models
Publishers
• Lots of room for
Non-profit publishing
improvement on effort (Rice Univ.)
traditional model Grant funding and
support from for-
• Business models profit partners.
built around books OpenStaxCollege.org
rather than on them
studentpirgs.org
57. OER Models
Publishers
• Lots of room for
Commercial open
improvement on textbook publisher
traditional model Revenue (incl.
royalties) from
• Business models selling optional print
copies, study aids.
built around books
rather than on them flatworldknowledge.com
studentpirgs.org
59. Exposing the Problem
Campaign Activities
• 8 studies on various
elements of the
issue
• 1,000+ media hits
over the last 8 years
• Congressional
investigation
studentpirgs.org
60. Organizing Faculty
Campaign Activities
• 700 prof letter on
new editions
• UCLA math dept
negotiated 25% cut
• 23-campus Calstate
faculty resolution
studentpirgs.org
61. Price Disclosure Laws
Campaign Activities
• Passed laws in
WA, OR, CT, AZ, CA
(sort of)
• Passed federal law
in 2008, took effect
Jul 1, 2010
studentpirgs.org
62. Price Disclosure Laws
Higher Education
Opportunity Act
• Publishers must disclose
prices to professors
• Publishers must offer books
unbundled
• Colleges must list books
during registration
studentpirgs.org
63. Promote Alternatives
Campaign Activities
• 3,000 profs signed
statement endorsing
open textbooks
• Student “marketing”
force met with over
2,000 professors
• Open textbook catalog
studentpirgs.org
66. Open Education and Solving
the Textbook Cost Crisis
Open Education Week
March 2012 • #openeducationwk
Nicole Allen
The Student PIRGs
www.studentpirgs.org/textbooks
nicole@studentpirgs.org
twitter @txtbks
studentpirgs.org
Notes de l'éditeur
Although the problem has continued to grow worse and worse, it’s actually starting to get better in the short term because students have more ways to save.
• Open textbooks are like traditional textbooks in many ways. • They are written by experts and reviewed, same kind of material. • Hard copies are even sold in bookstores.