In this session, we will share information about the Affordable Learning and Open Educational Resources (OER) Initiative, aimed at decreasing the cost of course materials to students at the University of Louisville (UofL). We will discuss the origins of initiatives, course notes implementation and impact, and students’ savings data from the Spring, Summer, and Fall semesters. Additionally, we will share our experiences of using open textbooks in the Humanities (History), Physical Sciences (Biology), and Social Sciences (Business Communications) fields and discuss the benefits and challenges of adopting open textbooks and the impact of using open and affordable course materials on students’ engagement and success.
Research shows that textbook costs negatively impact student behavior and success. Furthermore, textbook costs disproportionately affect historically underserved students. For example, Jenkins et al. (2020) found that textbook costs are a significant barrier to most students, but “those barriers were found to be even more significant among historically underserved college students” (p.2). Conversely, the adoption of open textbooks increased success and decreased stress for all students, benefiting those from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds and historically underserved populations the most (Colvard et al., 2018).
In addition to learning about the Affordable Learning and OER initiative at UofL, and presenters’ journeys in adopting and adapting open textbooks, the attending will learn about state-wide support and resources available to them through the state-wide Affordable Learning KY initiative.
