Why is Textbook Equity important at the UNI?
In a spring 2021 survey (n = 688), UNI students reported they:
- share books (61%).
- avoid purchase of required texts (48%).
- change sections or avoid registering for a specific course/section due to textbook costs (29%).
- have earned a poor or failing grade due to textbook costs (23%).
- have dropped a course or taken fewer courses due to textbook costs (19%).
Why OER?
In addition to being free to access, research has shown that the use of OER can lead to various benefits for students and instructors alike:
- Students in courses using OER have similar learning outcomes, with pronounced benefits for Pell-eligible, non-white, first-generation, and non-domestic college students (Colvard et al., 2018; Clinton et al., 2019; Delgado et al., 2019; Marsh et al., 2022).
- Students are more likely to stay in courses: courses with free materials have an average 29% lower withdrawal rate than those with commercial textbooks (Clinton & Khan, 2019; n=78,000).
- Students who enroll in more than one OER course take more credits than their peers and have higher course completion rates (Griffiths et al, 2020; Ross et al, 2018).
- Courses implementing open pedagogy can drive student engagement, contribute to media literacy, and build confidence in students’ workforce readiness (Baran & AlZoubi, 2019; Sánchez Vera et al., 2021).
- Instructors are able to innovate in their teaching while improving their students’ learning experiences by implementing OER in their courses (Kimmel et al., 2022).
- Students may feel an increased sense of belonging, both because they can access materials and if they can see themselves reflected in those materials (Nusbaum, 2020).
- Students may feel an improved sense of mental wellbeing because stress caused by textbook costs is eliminated (Jenkins et al., 2020).
Impact by College
UNI faculty saved students more than $387,000 in 2022 through reported use of free online textbooks including Open Educational Resources (OER).
