Slide from my keynote at the University of Northern Illinois, Oct. 20, in celebration of Open Access Week 2015 (#oaweek).

1. OPEN TEXTBOOKS
Opportunities in transformative learning and student success
Sarah Faye Cohen
@thesheck
University of Northern Iowa

2. I have a
dream…

6. The cost barrier kept
2.4 million
low and moderate-income college-qualified
high school graduates from completing
college in the previous decade.
The Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED529499.pdf

7. $2,000
$3,000
$4,000
$5,000
$6,000
$7,000
$8,000
$9,000
1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
US Higher Education Funding - $/FTE
State Funding Tuition Revenue
http://www.sheeo.org

8. $2,000
$3,000
$4,000
$5,000
$6,000
$7,000
$8,000
$9,000
$10,000
$11,000
1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
Iowa Higher Education Funding - $/FTE
State Funding Tuition Revenue
http://www.sheeo.org

9. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN
FOR STUDENTS?

10. The average borrower owes more than
$29,400
in student loans (class of 2012).
Institute for College Access and Success http://projectonstudentdebt.org/files/pub/Student_Debt_and_the_Class_of_2012_NR.pdf

11. $400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
$1,000
$1,100
$1,200
$1,300
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
$Billions
US Debt
Consumer Revolving Credit Student Loan Debt
Federal Reserve http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/Current/

12. Factors of the cost of higher education:
• Tuition and Fees
• Room and Board
• Books and Supplies
• Personal Expenses
• Transportation

13. Factors of the cost of higher education:
• Tuition and Fees
• Room and Board
• Books and Supplies
• Personal Expenses
• Transportation

14. 0%
100%
200%
300%
400%
500%
600%
700%
1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012
%Increase
Increase in Textbook Prices
Textbooks CPI
Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/cpi/

16. The average student can expect to pay
$1,225 - $1,328
on textbooks and course materials in 2014-15.
https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/college-costs/quick-guide-college-costs

17. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK
LIKE FOR STUDENTS?

18. #textbookbroke

19. #textbookbroke

20. #textbookbroke

21. The
Academic
Impact:
•Purchase an older edition
of the textbook
•Delay purchasing the
textbook
•Never purchase the
textbook
•Share the textbook
•Pirate the textbook
“I figured French
hadn’t changed
that much.”
- UMN student

22. 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
http://www.openaccesstextbooks.org/pdf/2012_Florida_Student_Textbook_Survey.pdf
In your academic career, has the cost of
required textbooks caused you to:

23. “The hardest part of college shouldn’t
be paying for it.”
-Hilary Clinton, Oct. 13, 2015

24. WE ARE TRYING TO DEAL
WITH THIS ISSUE IN MANY
WAYS

25. Alternative textbook projects

26. Digital Course Packs

27. Textbooks available through the library

28. Textbooks available through the library

29. Self paced and informal learning to
supplement course content.

30. There is an alternative that…
….is built to drive curriculum and is ready to use from day
one.

31. There is an alternative that…
….is built to drive curriculum and is ready to use from day
one.
….allows every student in your class access to the
textbook on (or even before) day one.

32. There is an alternative that…
….is built to drive curriculum and is ready to use from day
one.
….allows every student in your class access to the
textbook on (or even before) day one.
….every student can afford.

33. There is an alternative that…
….is built to drive curriculum and is ready to use from day
one.
….allows every student in your class access to the
textbook on (or even before) day one.
….every student can afford.
….enables faculty to tailor content to the course objectives
they select.

34. Open Textbooks

35. https://www.flickr.com/photos/kalexanderson/7176605114

36. Why textbooks?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/timuiuc/4232485465

37. Open Content
OER
Open
Textbooks

38. Defining Open Educational Resources
Hewlett Foundation
Definition:
“OER are teaching,
learning, and research
resources that reside in
the public domain or are
released under an
intellectual property
license that permits
their free use and
repurposing by others”

39. With Creative Commons
licenses, you are free to…
Copy Mix
Share Keep
Edit Use

40. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN IN
TERMS OF LEARNING
EXPERIENCES?

41. https://www.flickr.com/photos/rahimageworks/804575557

42. Customization and improvement.
• Ability to customize
and update in real
time.
• No additional costs to
the institutions, the
students, the parents.

43. Affordable course materials
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/survey/partial-credit-2015-survey-faculty-attitudes-technology

44. Tailoring courses based on faculty expertise
https://www.flickr.com/photos/helloturkeytoe/4932748746

45. What might open textbooks stay to students?

46. WHAT IS THE POTENTIAL
FOR HIGHER EDUCATION?

47. Powerful local solutions

48. Open is a global solution

49. Imagine

50. “a student saves $128 per
course, when their
traditionally published
textbook is replaced with
an open textbook”
“open textbooks have the
potential to save more
than a billion dollars each
year”

51. Open textbooks are a toe hold
https://www.flickr.com/photos/markdoliner/13523516913

53. The effect
could be
staggering.

54. It could impact…
• The future of research
• The future of
publishing
• How our institutions
look at our intellectual
output.
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2007684425/

55. It could result in…
• More open access
publishing
• A change in our
reliance on big
publishers
• A change in our
reliance on big deals
• A change in how we
use our budgets

56. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A
CULTURE SHIFT.

57. What does that mean on the ground?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevandotorg/4023199860

58. Taking first steps.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thedepartment/110775600

59. an alliance of
schools
committed to
improving
access,
affordability
and
academic
success
through use
of the open
textbooks

60. Oregon
Community
College Distance
Learning
Association

61. Oregon
Community
College Distance
Learning
Association

62. We ask faculty to:
• Take a look at open textbooks from the Open
Textbook Library (open.umn.edu).
• Write a review.
• Adopt if a book meets their needs and the needs
of their students.
• Raise awareness - talk with colleagues in your
program and department.

63. open.umn.edu:
a catalog of
complete, openly
licensed textbooks.
178 books
204 reviews

64. What we see from faculty.
0 0
5
1
9
44
73 72
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1.0 - 1.5 1.5 - 2.0 2.0 - 2.5 2.5 - 3.0 3.0 - 3.5 3.5 - 4.0 4.0 - 4.5 4.5 - 5.0
Reviews
Ratings

65. Open.umn.edu: web traffic
47% increase in web traffic in six months.

66. WHY ARE WE DOING
THIS?

67. For our children.

68. For our students
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sakeeb/4647211575

69. For the possibilities in front of us.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/3155662908/

70. THANK YOU.
sfcohen@umn.edu
@thesheck ;
@open_textbooks
open.umn.edu