The Open Education Initiative At UMass Amherst Seeking Alternatives to High-cost Textbooks Marilyn Billings Scholarly Communication Librarian University of Massachusetts Amherst

Abstract The high cost of commercial print textbooks is a major concern for both students and their parents. To address these concerns, the Provost’s Office and the University Libraries of the University of Massachusetts Amherst launched the Open Education Initiative in the Spring of The OEI is a faculty incentive program that encourages ◦ the creation of new teaching materials, ◦ the use of library subscription materials, ◦ or the use of existing free information resources to support our students’ learning. 2

Why the Academic Library? Form a nexus of communication Create strategic partnerships Promote Open Access initiatives Curate digital materials Provide expertise on metadata, author rights, fair use rights, copyright Provide expertise on content, accessibility Provide education and workshops 3

Publisher editor Peer Review Academic Library cost budget Scholarly Communications System Scholarly Communications System new thinking Serials Crisis copyrights grants university taxpayers rewards new business models OA mandates open access * * * * * From Lee Van Orsdel’s “Basics” ACRL ScholarlyComunication 101 4

The UMass-Amherst Open Education Initiative: Part 1 February 2011: SPARC initiates topic with call about e-text project at Temple, Flat- world Knowledge model March 2011: Director of UMass Libraries and Provost establish a fund of $10,000 for open education initiative grants March 2011: The University Libraries Open Educational Resources LibGuide is created edu/oer edu/oer March 2011: Workshops held for librarians and partners to learn about OERs April 2011: Round one of the Open Education Initiative begins. April 2011: Workshops, consultation sessions held for faculty.

Workshops and Consultations Two one-hour workshops reviewing available Open Educational Resources and library licensed resources Individual consulting sessions for faculty with Scholarly Communication and subject liaison librarians Topics covered: OER availability, copyright and licensing issues, Creative Commons licenses, accessibility concerns, creating a sustainable curriculum with OERs, managing resources in the LMS, assistance with creation of new content 6

April 23, 2012Living the Future Conference7

Proposal development Basic course information List current textbook(s) and cost, plus number of students Narrative (500 words) ID alternative sources-workshop, liaisons Evaluation of course – outcomes, value of alternative resources, sustainability Anticipated start date 8

The Open Education Initiative: Round One April 2011: OEI grant review team established Faculty, librarians, and professional staff May 2011: Deadline for OEI grants. Review team awards 11 grants to 8 faculty members. July 2011: Money allocated to faculty through the Libraries’ business office Faculty MemberCourse OfferedNumber of StudentsSavings for Each Student Maria BotelhoEducation 61530$105 Leda CooksComm. 620 & & 8$150 & 175 Carlos GradilAnimal Sciences 42130$80 Sanjiv GuptaSociology 21240$90 Miliann KangWomen’s Studies $75 Shona MacdonaldArt 69712$50 Charlie SchweikEnv. Conserv. 409 & & 30$50 & $50 Pam TraffordManagement 630 & & 40$200 & $200

The Open Education Initiative: Round Two September 2011: Based on the success of the OEI the Provost and Director of Libraries co- fund a second round of 15 grants October 2011: Round two launched during Open Access Week faculty panel presentation November 2011: Workshops and consultations offered December 2011: OEI review team awards 15 grants to 13 faculty members Faculty MemberCourse OfferedNumber of StudentsSavings for Each Student Allen BarkerPlant, Soil Sciences 53025$60 Patricia BianconiChemistry 34245$235 Sergio BrenaCivil & Envir. Eng $120 Briankle ChangCommunication 318 &49135 & 45$70 & $50 Elizabeth ChiltonAnthropology 39635$75 Lisa DePianoPermaculture 19715$200 John GerberPlant, Soil Sciences 29075$122 Christine HatchGeoscience 29758$100 HK HsiehStatistics 50145$150 Laetitia La FolletteArt History 100 & $175 Daiheng NiCivil & Envir. Eng $150 Nicholas ReichPublic Health 59030$130 Barbara RocheJournalism 39715$100

Faculty Survey Results My teaching needs were met by the Open Educational Resources implemented in the course. (4.27) Student performance improved compared to past semesters when a traditional textbook was used. (4.36) Student engagement increased compared to past semesters when a traditional textbook was used. (4.09) On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highest

Faculty Comments 12

The Open Education Initiative: Round Three October 2012: Based on the success of the OEI, the Provost and Director of Libraries co- fund a third round of grants October 2012: Round three launched during Open Access Week November 2012: Workshops and consultations offered December 2012: OEI review team awards grants for 14 plus 2 large general education classes Faculty MemberCourse OfferedNumber of StudentsSavings for Each Student Kristin AvontiStockbridge School25$120 Patricia GormanHonor Seminar18$553 Honors core course600$15 Irish Writers and Culture25$64 Peter HaasPolitical Science 252 & 25350$153 Kenneth KitchellClassics100 & $82 Hossein Pishro-NikECE 31477$190 ECE 60364$105 Jing QianPublic Health 68030$327 Joe VolpeEnv Design 291A60$220 LARP 297A/597K33$220 Brian EmondMath 101,102, $130 Heath HatchPhysics 131, $200 Total Round 3 = $544, students

Advantages of OERs Convenience Enhanced functionality, reuse, mixing ◦ Full searching ◦ Multimedia ◦ Linking of references ◦ Collaboration Environmental sustainability Timeliness 14

Disadvantages of OERs Preference for reading offline Potential for decreased quality Longevity of file formats Lack of knowledge by faculty ◦ Resources ◦ Licenses, copyright ◦ Support 15

Other Institutions Community College of Vermont Holyoke Community College Purdue University Universities in California System (UCLA, UCSD, CalPoly) University of Maryland Wakeforest University ◦ … 16

Future Needs Sustainable staffing Copyediting, proofing expertise Marketing, publicity Assessment 17

Questions / Discussion Contact Information Marilyn Billings Scholarly Communication Librarian University of Massachusetts Amherst 18