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Expensive Textbooks Are Still A Problem. Will Higher Quality OER Help?

Edsurge

High textbook costs continue to prove a barrier to college for some students, with some studies showing that many students skip textbook purchases even if they worry it’ll harm their grades because of the price tag. These days low-cost alternatives known as Open Educational Resources, or OER, are getting a boost as a potential solution.

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As OER Grows Up, Advocates Stress More Than Just Low Cost

Edsurge

For the first time ever, the federal government put forward funds to support initiatives around open educational resources, and recent studies show that faculty attitudes towards using and adapting these openly-licensed learning materials are steadily improving. But fans of OER are increasingly facing a problem.

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38 Community Colleges Share What It Takes to Launch an OER Degree Program

Edsurge

And that’s been the driver behind nonprofit Achieving the Dream ’s (ATD) OER Degree Initiative , where 38 U.S. community colleges are creating full degree programs that utilize open educational resources (OER) from start to finish. There will be at least 53 degree pathways offered by the 38 schools.

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How an OER Rookie Dove Deep Into a Zero-Cost Textbook Degree Program

Edsurge

The initiative intends to create degree pathways with courses that only use open educational resources, known as OER, so students don’t have to spend money on class materials. College of the Canyons’ history with OER starts before Anagnonson’s dabble, however. Using OER in those courses, she added, “really started out of necessity.”

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As Textbook Companies Try New Options, Many Students Say Price Is Biggest Factor

Edsurge

One crucial part of the decision is out of the students’ hands, of course, since it is the professor who decides what textbook or material to assign—or whether to skip commercial textbooks altogether and assign a free or low-cost open educational resource, or OER. He tends to buy used textbooks because they are cheaper. a semester.

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10 of the best K-12 sources for digital textbooks online

Hapara

While textbook publishing companies now offer digital versions, you can also find open textbook options online. The foundation offers textbooks for grades K-12, and you can search by math, science, language arts, social studies and even photography. OER Commons. Where can you find these free digital textbooks? See how it works.

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Generative Textbooks

Iterating Toward Openness

For example, my son who is studying cybersecurity recently told me prompted ChatGPT along these lines: ‘You are the hiring manager for a cybersecurity position at a large company. Then do the same with every colorful little box containing an example, case study, etc.

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