Open textbook
[14][15][16] In 2010, research commissioned by the Florida state legislature pointed to the savings potential open textbooks could secure for students.
[17][18] Legislative reports in Texas[19] and North Dakota[20] also pointed to the potential of open textbook programs to secure cost savings.
[25] In subsequent years, various state, provincial, national, and institutional initiatives emerged to support creation and use of open textbooks.
In 2010, the Florida state legislature pointed to "compelling academic reasons" for using open textbooks that included: "improved quality, flexibility and access to resources, interactive and active learning experiences, currency of textbook information, broader professional collaboration, and the use of teaching and learning technology to enhance educational experiences" (OATTF, p.
[30] Based on survey data gathered in September 2020, Student PIRGs cited additional reasons for supporting accessible open textbooks in light of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.
This report highlighted the economic inequalities that are further exacerbated by an educational market characterized by cost inflation and demanding technological requirements.
[35] Research at Brigham Young University has produced a web-based cost comparison calculator for traditional and open K-12 textbooks.
A section is provided to input time requirements for adaptation to local needs, annual updating hours, labor rate, and an approximation of pages.
In early 2011, Connexions announced a series of two grants that would allow the platform to produce a total of 20 open textbooks ultimately distributed as the OpenStax collection.
BCcampus was tasked with coordinating the program, whose goal was to "make higher education more accessible by reducing student cost through the use of openly licensed textbooks.
"[43] BCcampus' catalog of open textbooks is widely regarded as a leading source of information about existing OER in Canada.
Ernst launched traveling workshops that presented the concept of OER to faculty members and invited them to review textbooks in OTL using a pre-set rubric.
Later renamed Open Education Network, this organization had grown by June 2021 to comprise 140 members and 1,147 campuses across North America and select locations worldwide.
[49] Its initiatives came to include local workshops, a publishing cooperative, a certificate in OER Librarianship, and an annual Summer Summit.
Tidewater's Associate of Science in Business Administration was known as a "Z-Degree" program, and in 2017 the college reported that the degree had garnered students $1 million in savings to date.
[51][52] Based in Canada, the Rebus Foundation emerged in the 2010s to provide support for authors seeking to publish open textbooks.
The foundation provides professional development, facilitates workshops, and encourages authors to connect over shared OER projects.
In November 2010, Anthony Brandt was awarded an "Access to Artistic Excellence" grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for his innovative music appreciation course in Connexions.
Each year more electronic reference titles are published, and additional criteria by which these resources are evaluated include search features, stability of content, graphic design quality, and accuracy of links.
The title "Organizational Behavior"[64] by Talya Bauer and Berrin Erdogan earned one of seven 2011 Textbook Excellence Awards granted.
A Florida governmental panel found after substantial consultation with educators, students, and administrators that "there are compelling academic reasons to use open access textbooks such as: improved quality, flexibility and access to resources, interactive and active learning experiences, currency of textbook information, broader professional collaboration, and the use of teaching and learning technology to enhance educational experiences.
For example, a startup open textbook publisher called Flat World Knowledge pays its authors royalties on the sale of print copies and study aids.
[71] Legislation "to authorize grants for the creation, update, or adaption of open textbooks" and assure those developed would be made available under favorable licenses was introduced into the 111th United States Congress, both in the Senate[72][73][74] and the House of Representatives.
[75] Findings specific to open textbooks detailed in the bill text are: This legislation did not reach the floor of either chamber for debate or vote prior to the conclusion of the 111th Congress.
After this initial foray into legislation supporting OER in higher education, the U.S. Congress funded an Open Textbook Pilot Program in 2018.
[78] The industry is represented by Bruce Hildebrand, a former senior vice president from the controversial firm Hill & Knowlton International Public Relations, who is now acting as executive director for higher education for the Association of American Publishers.
[111] The work of KOED informed the Polish Government investment in open textbooks for use in primary and secondary education during 2012 and 2013.
[113][114] Based in South Africa, Siyavula[115] was founded in 2007[116] and offers high school maths and science open textbooks.
