Open Textbooks: For Faculty

Why adopt an open textbook?

We know that you are committed to your students, and that includes providing them affordable and high-quality textbooks and course materials. Open textbooks are a great option!

Open textbooks provide students with course materials at no cost. Textbook prices increased 828% between 20036 and 20136, and now represent a 40%+ premium (for domestic students) on top of tuition and other TRU fees!1 This limits access to education, contributes to student debt, and even leads as many at 657% of students to not purchase a textbook at all.2 Adopting an open textbook can make education more affordable and improve student engagement with the curriculum.

Open textbooks are sound pedagogical tools. They are written by faculty, including some right here at TRU, and are subject to peer-review. A recent BC study found that 59% of faculty rate open educational resources as comparable or better that traditionally-published textbooks, and, once faculty have used open textbooks, they rate the quality higher on average.3

Finally, open textbooks put you in control of the materials whoyou use to support learning in your course. Because open textbooks are licensed under open copyright, you can remove, add, or alter content to tailor it to your curriculum, teaching style, and students. Open textbooks support academic freedom!

Information and support for adopting open textbooks

Take the Pledge to Adopt an Open Textbook!

 


1 Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, College tuition and fees increase 63 percent since January 2006 on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2016/college-tuition-and-fees-increase-63-percent-since-january-2006.htm (visited October 20, 2016).

2 2016 Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey, Florida Virtual Campus, 2016. https://oerknowledgecloud.org/sites/oerknowledgecloud.org/files/2016%20Student%20Textbook%20Survey.pdf

3 Jhangiani, R. S., Pitt, R., Hendricks, C., Key, J., & Lalonde, C. (2016). Exploring faculty use of open educational resources at British Columbia post-secondary institutions. BCcampus Research Report. Victoria, BC: BCcampus.