2.1 Student Audience

This section introduces resources and strategies for making a case for open education to a student audience. Because they're most directly impacted by the cost of traditional textbooks and course materials, students can be powerful allies in an OER program. Students often lack direct control over textbook options, so working with students can require guidance and deliberate efforts to empower them on campus. Making the case to students can begin with acknowledging the costs they're likely bearing and move into a larger discussion about academic success and the unique value of open educational resources. For an overview of the issues and a list of talking points, read "Talkin' 'Bout OER" Links to an external site.by Gina Bastone et al. and BCcampus' OER Student Toolkit Links to an external site..  

2.1 Reading "Talkin' 'Bout OER" Links to an external site.1 and "OER Student Toolkit" Links to an external site.2

Affordability

Historically, the price of college textbooks, as tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, has risen three times faster than the inflation rate for other goods and services. From January 2000 to June 2022, college textbook prices increased by 162% Links to an external site., while the inflation rate of consumer goods and services increased by an average of 74.4%. Links to an external site.

EF1A57BB-15A3-4A42-82AF-EA31722AFBCD-2.jpeg

Image from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Links to an external site.

Textbook prices peaked in March 2018 Links to an external site. before steadily dropping through January 2020. Since then, prices have increased again but remain well below the March 2018 level.

Graph showing a slight decrease in the cost of college textbooks

Image from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Links to an external site.

Recently, Mark J. Perry Links to an external site. noted the decline in college textbook prices following a half-century of price increases. 

“We can expect future declines in the prices of college textbooks, as the traditional textbook market faces increasingly tough and disruptive competition from alternative options including hundreds of “open textbooks” that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed.”

As we can see, the increasing adoption of OER and the proliferation of alternate textbook acquisition models have been linked to the disruption of the traditional market for publisher textbooks, thereby applying downward pressure on prices. Lower prices benefit all students by making textbooks more affordable. But how much do students pay for textbooks?

According to Phil Hill, the oft-cited $1,200 annual budget for textbooks is an inaccurate use of that figure, with actual textbook spending at far lower levels. The College Board’s “Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2022 Links to an external site.” report breaks down the Books and Supplies category into Course Materials and Other Supplies. It provides a $340 budget for course materials based on recent Student Watch and Student Monitor surveys Links to an external site.. So the question becomes, is this lower amount affordable?

Affordability is relative. Even an “affordable” textbook isn’t affordable to all students. Studies have shown that 65% of students skip buying a required textbook during their college career. Food-insecure students skip buying textbooks Links to an external site. at even higher rates. Community college students rely on financial aid to purchase textbooks at higher rates Links to an external site. than students at four-year institutions. First-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students experience other barriers to pursuing higher education, but cost and affordability remain significant barriers for these groups.

While increased affordability is good, there are risks with digital subscriptions and direct relationships between students and publishers through new textbook sales models. One of the risks that SPARC Links to an external site.(the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) is actively lobbying against is the collection of student data by publishers and its potential to be exploited by these commercial entities. In response to this threat to student privacy, SPARC created the Landscape Analysis Links to an external site., which is "intended to provide a comprehensive look at the current players in this arena, their strategies and potential actions, and the implications of these on the operations of our libraries and home institutions."

2.1 Reading SPARC Landscape Analysis Links to an external site.3

Academic Success

Textbook costs have a substantial impact on all students, and particularly on vulnerable and underrepresented communities. A 2017 study by the Institute for Research on Poverty (PDF) Links to an external site.notes that factors such as sharply rising tuition rates, the decline of federal funding, and other inflationary rates affecting college students have impacted everyone but low-income students are disproportionately affected by tuition increases. The study suggests that "one decade ago, 4% of low-income students at state schools graduated with more than $15,000 in debt. Today, the rate has increased tenfold."  A 2016 study from the Florida Virtual Campus (PDF) Links to an external site.documented the harm done to grades and pass rates in a particular course, and the impact on students' path to graduation due to dropping courses or taking fewer courses. Florida Virtual Campus completed the study again in 2018. The following table shows the percentage of students and the actions they reported due to high textbook costs in the 2016 and 2018 Links to an external site. surveys. 

Florida Textbook Survey 2018.png

A 2018 study at the University of Georgia (PDF) Links to an external site. found significant improvement in student outcomes in courses where OER was adopted. The study evaluated academic performance data for two groups of students over six years. One group (11,681 students) was enrolled in courses using commercial textbooks, and the other group (10,141 students) was enrolled in courses using OER textbooks.

While drop, fail, and withdraw (DFW) rates fell and grades improved for all student populations in courses that adopted OER, the benefits of OER were most significant for Pell-eligible, non-White, and part-time students. The results point to OER as an equity strategy for higher education that addresses issues such as completion and affordability. 

Population Change in Grade Change in DFW
All Students +8.60% -2.68%
Non-Pell Eligible +6.90% -2.05%
Pell Eligible +10.98% -4.43%
Non-White +13.13% -5.13%
Part-Time +53.12% -29.54%

Table Links to an external site. compiled by Sunny Pai with published data from the University of Georgia study.

OER vs. Other Models

In addition to programs that support the creation and use of resources that have full 5R permissions, such as the mini-grant-focused alt-textbook programs we'll discuss in Module 4, many institutions are experimenting with other avenues to support cost savings for students. In addition to standard course reserves programs, some libraries are developing programmatic support for replacing textbooks with library-licensed materials or offering textbook-lending programs Links to an external site. in partnership with their campus bookstore.

In response to these changes, for-profit publishers are adopting new strategies to recapture the market they fear may be lost to OER. In particular, publishers have developed so-called "inclusive access Links to an external site." models, i.e., automatic textbook billing, that provide enrolled students immediate digital access to course materials using the opt-out payment model. Proponents argue that this model can reduce costs for students. Critics object Links to an external site. to a model that cuts off secondary markets (such as rentals and used textbooks) and offers only short-term access rather than actual ownership. SPARC's Landscape Analysis Links to an external site. and their website devoted to Inclusive Access, InclusiveAccess.org4 Links to an external site., also address the risks of inclusive access programs. We'll address inclusive access more in section 3.3.

Optional Readings

Footnotes

1. "Talkin' 'Bout OER Links to an external site." by Gina Bastone et al. is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 Links to an external site..

2. "OER Student Toolkit" Links to an external site. by Daniel Munro, Jenna Omassi, & Brady Yano from BCcampus Links to an external site. is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 Links to an external site..

3. "SPARC Landscape Analysis Links to an external site." by Claudio Aspesi et al. is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Links to an external site..

4. "InclusiveAccess.org Links to an external site." is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Links to an external site..

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