Why OER
One reason that faculty choose to use open educational resources is the benefit to students in saving on textbook costs. Here are a few resources on the impact of saving money for students:
- Covering the Cost: Why We Can No Longer Afford to Ignore High Textbook Prices
- Four years and falling: Impact of statewide funding for textbook affordability and What is the cost of course materials for a four-year degree at each university in Oregon?
- OER Adoption Impact Calculator
Faculty report that they benefit from being able to customize the course materials due to the affordance of the open license. Here are a few examples:
- OER and the Spring 2020 remote learning pivot: Faculty stories
- Grant Project Update: ENVS 171 at Oregon Coast Community College
- What is Open Pedagogy?
- Rating the Quality of Open Textbooks: How Reviewer and Text Characteristics Predict Ratings
Last, emerging research shows that student grades are likely to improve with the use of open educational resources (probably because everyone has Day 1 access) and that the positive impact may be greater for traditionally underserved students, such as Pell grant, non-White, and part-time students: