These are the slides I used for a webinar I did for BCcampus during Open Education Week, March 7, 2016. I gave an almost identical talk on campus at the University of Saskatchewan later the same day.

1. Introduction to
Open Textbooks
Heather M. Ross
March 7, 2016
CC-BY

2. Overview
• What’s the problem?
• What are open textbooks?
• Why should we integrate them?
• What’s already happening at USask?
• What are the barriers?
• How do we integrate them?
• Now what?

3. Problem
The U of S recommended budgeting:
$1,000 - $2,000 / year
for textbooks and course materials in 2014 – 2015
academic year

4. The Academic Impact
• Purchase an older edition of the textbook
• Delay purchasing the textbook
• Never purchase the textbook

5. 63.6% Not purchase the required textbook
49.2% Take fewer courses
45.1% Not register for a specific course
33.9% Earn a poor grade
26.7% Drop a course
17.0% Fail a course
In your academic career, has the cost
of required textbooks caused you to:
http://www.openaccesstextbooks.org/pdf/2012_Florida_Student_Textbook_Survey.pdf

6. What are Open
Textbooks?
• Digital
• Free
• Instructor Written
• Peer Reviewed
• Adaptable*

7. Creative Commons

8. Where Does Funding
Come From?
• Universities
• Foundations
• Governments
• Professional Organizations

9. Why Should We Integrate
• Cost savings for students
• Access for learners
• Customization (revise & remix)
• Efficiency
• Community
• Reputation

10. First Adoption We Knew
About
• Winter 2015
• Principles of Economics (OpenStax)
• Agriculture and Bioresource
• 270 students
• Out of the box

11. Known Adoptions at
USask
• College of Agriculture and Bioresource
• Edwards School of Business
• Department of Chemistry
• Department of History*
• Department of Sociology
• 2015 - 2016 academic year – 900+ students = $90,000+
savings

12. Edwards School of
Business
• Adoption for Fall 2015
• 360 students
• Adapting Study Skills (Open Textbook Library)

13. Barriers
• Knowing about open textbooks
• Time
o To find
o To review
o To update other course materials
o To revise / remix book if needed
• Technical assistance
• Concerns about need for print
• Recognition

14. Barriers – Some Solutions
• Knowing – sessions like this one and word of mouth
• Time
o Assistance finding materials
o Assistance with production
o Funding for release time
• Technical assistance
• Concerns about need for print – print-on-demand
• Recognition?

18. Integration
• Find a resource – open.bccampus.ca (or open.usask.ca)
• Review an open textbook
• Talk with OER Librarians and educational developers
about open resources and pedagogy
• Talk with colleagues about collaboration
• Think about:
o Can I use this resource as is?
o What would I need to / get to change about my course?
o How much change can I do to start?
o Who could I work with on this?

19. Questions and Comments

20. Some slides were adapted from
a presentation by David Ernst
of The Open Textbook Library
under a CC-BY license.

21. Heather M. Ross
University of Saskatchewan
open.usask.ca
heather.ross@usask.ca
Twitter - @mctoonish