"

Why are OERs Important?

It is not uncommon for students to opt out of purchasing a textbook for a class. As the cost of education rises, many students have a hard time getting aid, and affording the steep cost of higher education.

 

A graphic of 10 students, with approx. 9.4 of them shaded in, with the description "94% of students who had skipped purchasing a required textbook said they were concerned that doing so would hurt their grade."
Watson, C. E., & Rush-Marlowe, R. (2023). Making the case for open educational resources.  American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

Majority of students who opt out of purchasing a textbook are concerned about their ability to do well in the class because of their inability to afford the materials. Beyond just the student’s grade, their understanding of the course and knowledge they are gaining may not be as in depth or comprehensive as it would be had they been able to use the proper material for the class. This will not only affect them during their time at school and their mastery of their other related courses, but also will affect their success in their career.

 

 

 

A graphic explaining "over 92% of students said the OER was equal or greater quality than the traditional textbook, over 70% stated that having a traditional textbook would not have made the class more valuable, and 64% noted that the online delivery method of OER was preferable or made no difference to them."
Watson, C. E., & Rush-Marlowe, R. (2023). Making the case for open educational resources. American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

 

Students who have had the opportunity to use OERs in their courses overall had positive experiences, noting the quality, value, and method of delivery OERs added to their courses.

A chart showing stress levels experienced students experience based on their financial aid status.
Watson, C. E., & Rush-Marlowe, R. (2023). Making the case for open educational resources. American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

Being unable to afford textbooks for class is a major cause of stress for many students, and up to 82% of students showed up to the first day of class without the textbook because they were unable to afford it. Up to 58% of students didn’t purchase a textbook, and claimed that the lack of materials hurt their performance in the course.

 

 

 

 

A bar chart showing the frequency students used traditional textbooks compared to OER textbooks. Students who tend to read textbooks "always" or "most of the time" are shown to utilize OERs more than traditional textbooks, while students who read the book "half of the time", "sometimes", or "never", used traditional textbooks more often.
Watson, C. E., & Rush-Marlowe, R. (2023). Making the case for open educational resources. American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

Students who has access to OERs (specifically students who are already inclined to utilize the reading materials offered for their courses) were more likely to read and use OERs than they were to use textbooks.

 

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Open Minds, Open Resources: The Student Perspective Copyright © by elise LeMonnier and Emma Day is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book