Open/Alternative Textbook
Initiative
Kansas State University
Beth Turtle, Scholarly Communications Librarian
Kansas State University Libraries
ALCTS CRS College and Research Libraries Interest Group
June 28, 2015
Outline
Background/Goals of Initiative
Criteria for Selection & Projects Funded
Importance of Mentoring
Next steps : Assessment, Sustainable Funding
From traditional texts to…
Principles of Biology
Adapted
from
OpenStax
Impact: 1,600
students per
year will use
the book
K-State First Guide to College Student Success
Impact:
50% of all
first-year
students
(2,000)
will use the
book
Background of Initiative
Initially funded by
Students (through
tuition dollars) and KState Libraries
Collaboration with
faculty who are
advocates of OERs
K-State Student Government Association
Background
• Central Admin
sees value & is
now funding
• SGA continues
to be supportive
Goals of Initiative
• Save students
money
• Change default
textbook culture
• Awareness &
adoption
• Improve teaching
& learning
Proposal Criteria
• Potential savings to K-State students
• Preference given to high
enrollment/lower level courses
• Sustainability beyond the initial
course
• Ability to produce a quality product
Options for Texts
• Develop a new text
• Adapt/adopt an existing open text
• Assemble modules of open resources
• Integrate licensed library content
• All formats encouraged!
Annual
Enrollment
Course
New
Textbook(s)
Cost
Annual
Savings
(new)
Annual
Savings
($100)
Spring 2013
Principles of Biology
Multicultural Advising (Online)
Chemical Analysis & Honors,
Chemistry 2
Introduction to Industrial
Engineering
Fundamentals of Public Relations
Psychobiology
Exceptional Child in the Regular
Classroom
Plane Trigonometry
College Algebra Studio
1638
$150
$245,700 $163,800
120
$112
$13,440
$12,000
90
$160
$14,400
$9,000
85
$142
$12,070
$8,500
400
$80
$32,000
$40,000
135
$205
$27,675
$13,500
150
$150
$22,500
$15,000
275
$150
$41,250
$27,500
570
$182
$103,740
$57,000
Annual
Enrollment
Course
New
Textbook(s)
Cost
Annual
Savings
(new)
Annual
Savings
($100)
Fall 2013
College Algebra (Salina & Online)
BIOL 340 Human Body
Core Teaching Skills and Lab &
Field Experience/Lab
2013 Total
105
$192.50
$20,213
$10,500
320
$251.50
$112,480
$32,000
343
$216.20
$74,157
$34,300
4231
$687,624 $415,100
Course
K-State First
Annual
New
Annual
Enrollment Textbook(s) Savings
Cost
(new)
Spring 2014
Annual
Savings
($100)
2000
$50.00
95
$212.75
1200
$210.00
152
$163.00
$24,776
$15,200
160
$100.00
$16,000
$16,000
Teaching Mathematics K-6
80
$58.95
$4,716
$8,000
Chinese 1-6
40
$30.00
$1,200
$3,000
General Calculus and Linear Algebra
(Salina & Online)
College Algebra (Traditional)
Introduction to Archaeology and
World Prehistory
Anatomy and Physiology
$100,000 $100,000
$20,211
$9,500
$252,000 $120,000
Course
Annual
New
Annual
Enrollment Textbook(s) Savings
Cost
(new)
Fall 2014
Annual
Savings
($100)
Women in Music
18
118.95
$2,141
$1,800
Technology in the Landscape
Architecture & Regional Comm. Plan
Content Area Literacy & Diverse
Learners
Intro to Formal Logic & Symbolic Logic
60
$650.00
$39,000
$6,000
145
$32.95
$4,778
$4,778
80
$60.00
$4,800
$4,800
Organic Chemistry 2
235
$310.00
$72,850
$23,500
Practicum in Human Body;
Physiological Adaptation of Animals
670
$124.63
$83,502
$67,000
2014 Total
4,935
$625,974 $374,494
Enrollment Textbook(s) Savings
Cost
(new)
($100)
Spring 2015
Agricultural Market Structures
160
373.00
$59,680
$16,00
1072
$163.81
$174,532
$107,20
Intermediate English 2
215
$51.75
$11,126
$11,12
Written Communication in the
Workplace
Intro to Professional Communication
650
$72.75
$47,288
$47,28
18
$65.00
$1,170
$1,17
55
$135.00
$7,425
$5,50
$339,526
$211,78
Analytic Geometry and Calculus
Low Brass Techniques & Materials
Spring 2015 Total
Initiative Total
2,405
11,571
$1,653,124 $1,001,37
2013 - 2015
32 Awards
Stipends up to
$5,000
$160,000
disbursed
Total Savings to Date
11,571 students affected in 38 Classes
Cost Savings to students =
$1,653,124 (new textbook cost)
$1,001,378 ($100/text)
Working with Faculty
• Mentoring important! Meet
1x1
• Discuss ideas, progress,
future plans
• Some have a clear plan &
make progress; others need
guidance (approach, focus,
technology etc.)
Working with Faculty
• Some are overwhelmed with process
• Important to provide support – while
making them accountable
• Connect them with experts: consultants on
copyright, instructional design, IT,
accessibility
• First payment made at beginning of project;
final payment upon completion
Spring Group Meeting
• Required of all awardees
• Interest in meeting other awardees and
sharing experiences, discussing
approaches/challenges, successes
• All make resources available prior to
meeting; some have implemented,
others still developing
Why not all OPEN?
• Note: Open/ALTERNATIVE
• Not required to deposit in IR/Press
-Some faculty want to put in CMS
-Some use licensed library content
-Some claim fair use
• Use of Creative Commons license
encouraged
What about Quality?
• “Stop Saying High Quality” (David Wiley)
• We want “effective” educational materials –
those that support learning
• Think in terms of learning resources, not
“Textbooks”
• Peer review is not required
Assessment
• Student Surveys
• Interviews with
Faculty
• Preliminary data
Assessment
• Students surveyed about use, level of
satisfaction, quality, usability, funding
• Most used on a weekly basis & were
somewhat satisfied
• Students rated resources as good quality &
somewhat easy to use
Assessment
Overall, students agreed that they would
like to see open resources used in other
courses
Did the students use the open/alternative textbook?
10%
Used (471)
Did not use (53)
90%
The survey was sent out to 2074 students in 13 courses using the digital text.
524 (25.3%) students completed the survey
Why DO you support open/alternative textbooks?
3%
2%
3% 2%
7%
Financial benefit (194)
Ease of access (72)
15%
50%
Customized to the course (59)
No book to carry around (26)
They're more interactive (10)
Ease of finding content (10)
Like that resources were online (9)
18%
Better for the environment (8)
313 of the 471 students (66.5%) who used an open/alternative textbook responded
Why do you NOT support open/alternative textbooks?
9%
Want a physical book/hard copy (19)
11%
43%
Liked the features, but not screen
reading/wanted hard copy (9)
Didn't like the resource/had problems
with it (7)
16%
Didn't think the quality was as good as
traditional textbook (5)
21%
Concerns about quality in additional
courses (4)
Responses from 44 students who used the resource, but are not supportive of it
Should university and/or donor funds be used to
support the Open/Alternative Textbook Initiative?
5%
Yes, initiative is a productive use of
donor and/or university funds (80)
12%
Yes, because of the financial
benefit to students (70)
44%
39%
Yes, for other reasons (21)
No, donor/university funds could
be used for better purposes than
alternative textbooks (10)
Initiative Future
• Continue
working w/ SGA
& Central Admin
• Look at feasibility
of Donor Funding
• Scale Up in
Stepwise Manner
Future
• Fund Stipends for Mentors & Faculty to
Revise/Update Texts
• Place emphasis on improved learning &
teaching resources rather than savings
Credits
Programming Language Textbooks, K. Lee. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia
Commons
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Programming_language_textbooks.jpg#mediaviewe
r/File:Programming_language_textbooks.jpg
Principles of Biology
http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]
K-State First Guide to College Student Success
http://www.k-state.edu/first/faculty/KSF%20Textbook_2014.pdf
K-State Student Government Association
https://blogs.k-state.edu/sga/legislative-3/
Salina campus business students
http://www.salina.k-state.edu/business/business_main_image.jpg
Reader survey image
http://michaelhyatt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/results-of-my-2009-readersurvey.jpg
President Schulz, Provost Mason
https://blogs.k-state.edu/kstatenews/files/UWA-MOU2.jpg
Open Textbooks are in your future, image by Judy Baker,
http://collegeopentextbooks.ning.com/page/adopt-1
Free the Textbook, createad by Libby Levi for opensource.com
https://secure.flickr.com/photos/opensourceway/4383230458/in/gallery-shareable72157623372778849/
Thank You!
Beth Turtle
[email protected]
http://www.lib.kstate.edu/open-textbook