Retention and Completion with OER Implementation

OER and Retention / Completion OERs have been around for a long time: – MERLOT: 1997 – MIT Open Courseware: 2002 – BCCampus OpenEd: 2003 State- or region-wide OER Textbook replacement programs are rather new: – CSU Affordable Learning Solutions: 2010 – UMN Open Textbook Library: 2012 – Affordable Learning Georgia: 2013

Large retention and completion analyses in these new statewide programs are still forthcoming. We can look at both related and measurable factors to retention and completion within case studies to predict the effects OER will have in the future.

Related Retention Factors Availability of Academic Resources Satisfaction with Costs

Academic Resources From research literature, we do know that: Medium or high levels of academic resources available at an institution lead to a higher probability of degree completion. Correlation was even stronger with students of lower socioeconomic status (SES), but positively correlated at all SES levels. Potential Impact from OER: The creation, adaptation, and adoption of OER within courses increases the availability of academic resources. Cabrera, A. et al. (2012). Pathways to a four-year degree. In Seidman, A., ed. (2012). College Student Retention, 2 nd ed. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, Inc.

Satisfaction with Costs Also from the literature: Satisfaction with the costs of a four-year degree program leads to higher degree completion rates among low-SES students. Potential Impact from OER: OERs reduce the associated costs of a degree program, leading to increased satisfaction with costs. OER replacements of commercial textbooks have saved students millions of dollars, including over $1 million in USG FY The UGA Biology pilot project alone saved students over $150,000 in one year—6 times the cost of the project’s Incubator Grant. Cabrera, A. et al. (2012). Pathways to a four-year degree. In Seidman, A., ed. (2012). College Student Retention, 2 nd ed. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, Inc.

Measurable Retention Factors Engagement Grade Performance Retention and Successful Completion in Courses Passing Percentage per Student Dollar Spent on Learning Materials

Grade Performance Grade performance obviously affects retention and completion, but how do OER fit in? In an Open University student survey: OER textbook replacements improved grades for 47% of respondents 66% had an increase in the subject’s interest after using OER in courses 64% of respondents had an increase in learning experience satisfaction in OER courses over other courses 45% reported an increase in lesson engagement with OER courses

Case: Virginia State College of Business In a one-year pilot program to replace commercial textbooks with OER: – 30-40% increase in GPAs – More than $200,000 in student savings

Case: Mercy College Mathematics In a college-wide adoption or OER: All 27 sections of Basic Mathematics replaced commercial textbooks with OER in fall The pass rate for the course increased from 48.40% in spring 2011 to 68.90% in fall Students saved $125,000 during the first year. According to a new measure proposed by David Wiley of Lumen Learning: This is an over 50x increase in passing percentage per dollar spent by students on course materials.

Case: University System of Georgia The first USG Open Textbook was made for the core curriculum US History I course and implemented in eCore in Summer and Fall In Spring 2013, prior to open text implementation: 88% HIST 2111 retention rate. In Summer 2013, the first semester with the Open Textbook, retention increased to 94%. Successful completion (grades A, B, and C) rose from 56% in the spring to 84% in the summer with the open textbook. – Retention is the measure of non-withdrawals (grades A,B,C,D,F) – Successful course completion is the measure of grades A, B, and C. Non-successful course completion is the measure of grades D, F, W, and WF.

OER implementation directly improves these related and measurable retention and completion factors: – Academic Resources Available Open Textbooks available at all times with no cost-related barriers to access – Satisfaction with Costs Open Textbooks are free Especially increases completion in low SES students – Grade Performance Increased course retention, successful completion rates, and overall GPAs in case studies Increased student performance per dollar spent on learning materials Summary