OER , as Caswell et al. (2008) state, also have the potential for bringing about "univeral education." At a more granular level, OER resources are helping students at the community college level succeed in school.
While there are many, many reasons a student might choose a community college over another source for higher education, one big factor is money. More dependent students from lower income families begin their education at a community college than at 4- year colleges or universities. Independent students with families make up a higher percentage of students in community colleges than in 4-year colleges and institutions.
In an American Association of Community Colleges 2019 study of challenges experienced by community college students, paying expenses tied work issues to be the most challenging factor to their success in school. In this study, 34% of community college students reported difficulties with finances. Fifty eight percent of students' difficulty with finances was attributed to purchasing texts and accompanying supplies.
Tyler Kingcade at Huffpost states that textbook costs have risen a startling 812% in the past 30 years, outpacing the 519% rise in tuition and fees (Oy!). Is it any wonder, then, that purchasing textbooks is often not as high on the list of financial priorities as, say, child care or rent. It is quite common for students to purchase their texts only after financial aid funds have arrived (two weeks after classes start); many of the faculty I work with design their classes with this in mind. It is also not uncommon for students not to buy their texts at all.
OER, such as those produced by group OpenStax, has the potential to lift a significant part of this burden. OpenStax texts (the online version) are free. Punched paper versions can be purchased for a nominal fee... up to $30 for a bound copy. (Note that the paper option neatly sidesteps some geographic digital divide questions, as well as providing an option for those who simply prefer to read from paper.)
Kathy Kristoff of CBS New's Issues that Matter: Education (2018), states that only 6% of schools are using OER. In "my" community college I find that 100% of the math faculty use OER . At least two of the high-enrollment biology courses at the college use OER for their textbooks. And those figures only account for the math and science department. OpenStax also has OER for social sciences, humanities, business and AP studies.
In one community college cited by Kristoff, students using OER spent as little as $31 for a course on materials, compared to the $153 per course, the national average. Kristoff goes on the quote the National College Board as saying that the average college student spends just under $1,200 on books and materials per year.
While OER is a great advancement in freeing faculty to adapt their own course materials, instead of being bound to a publisher's text, a tremendous boon to college students from OER is more mundane - how to pay the bill. On my campus, life is made easier for many students by the use of OER.
Image
Wolston, Maran. OpenStax Sociology Textbook, (CC BY 2.0) Retrieived from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/162377285@N07/26012358628, on 6/14/2019.
References
Caswell, T., Henson, S., Jensen, M. and Wiley, D. Open Educational Resources: Enabling universal education. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. 9:1. February, 2008.
American Association of Community College Colleges. DataPoints 7:6, Retrieved from https://www.aacc.nche.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DataPoints_V7_N6.pdf on 6/13/2019.
Kingkade, T. College Textbook Prices Increasing Faster Than Tuition And Inflation, December 6, 2017, Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/college-textbook-prices-increase_n_2409153 on 6/14/2019.
Kristoff, K., What's Behind the Souring Cost of College Textbooks, Huffpost. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/whats-behind-the-soaring-cost-of-college-textbooks/ on 6/13/2019.
