1. ALG 101: An Introduction to Affordable Learning Georgia
Jeff Gallant
Program Manager, Affordable Learning Georgia

2. About OER

3. Group Question! Answer: D 308% 452% 689% 1,041% 3,141.59%
Since 1977, the Consumer Price Index (all items) has risen 308%. This is normally seen as overall inflation. How much has the cost of textbooks risen in the same period of time?
308%
452%
689%
1,041%
3,141.59%
Trick Question, it decreased!
Answer: D

4. About ALG

5. A Quick History: Textbooks and the USG
2004: Chancellor creates a Textbook Task Force to address rising textbook costs
: Textbook Task Force holds meetings with stakeholders, conducts research
2005: Chancellor approves a policy to give the USG authority to create guidelines for USG institution bookstore sales.
2006: Guidelines implemented, but costs still rose
2006-: No news on the guidelines after this point

6. In the meantime… USG Open Textbook Publishing Model
The USG Office of Faculty Development did the following:
USG SHARE Learning Object Repository
Password-protected, USG only
USG Open Textbook Publishing Model
Partnership with eCore and UPNG
Developed an open textbook for US History I as a “proof of concept” (partnership with eCore)
Provided faculty OER training, support, and advocacy
Regents’ Academic Committee on Libraries (RACL) also discussing OER projects

7. In the meantime…
2011: Report on Textbook Costs and Trends for Delivery and Cost Reduction by Marie Lasseter, Office of Faculty Development
“A recent study suggests that one of these options, open textbooks, could reduce the average amount students spend on textbooks by 80% a year. Further investigation is needed to study the impact of recent developments on textbook affordability and emerging strategies for reducing costs, including the use of open textbooks.”

8. GALILEO: Leading the New Charge
When the USG started Complete College Georgia in 2012, an effort to raise retention, progression, and graduation in the state, they contacted GALILEO and USG Library Services to create and pilot a new project on textbook affordability. GALILEO was selected due to its experience as the provider of affordable electronic resources for (at the time) almost 20 years, and also because libraries have been at the forefront of the OA and OER movements. Affordability is part of the USG’s Strategic Plan, aligned with the Complete College Georgia initiative.

9. Textbook Transformation Grants
Grants awarded to teams of faculty and professional staff with a plan to adopt, adapt, and create open and/or affordable educational resources to replace a commercial textbook
Grant methodology based on preserving academic freedom with incentives, not mandates, peer review selection process, about 50% acceptance rate
Funding model based on average cost of course release with flexibility to institutions

10. Grant Outcomes COUP Framework: Cost, Outcomes, Usage, Perception
Cost and # students
Learning Outcomes
Retention: Drop, Fail, Withdraw (DFW) rates
Summarized at completion of a round of grants
R1 & R2: Positive student satisfaction, positive or neutral student learning outcomes, positive or neutral DFW

11. Current UNG Press Open Textbooks
World Literature I
US History I
World History I
Art Appreciation
Music Appreciation
American Literature
Human Communication (coming soon)
eCore project
Six more planned, to be created by end of 2018

12. GALILEO Open Learning Materials
Digital repository for all OER created by ALG projects and grants
Contains all UNG Press Textbooks, all grant reports/syllabi, all ancillary materials, all grant-created textbooks
Over 10,000 full-text downloads since launch in October 2016

13. Partner: eCore Georgia’s Online Core Curriculum
Worked with ALG and UNG Press
Open and Free Textbooks for all courses
Spanish and Human Communications in- progress
Does not include online STEM labs
High-impact implementations, at-scale OER validation

14. Partner: eCore
FY : 16 OER Courses, $836,000 in textbook cost savings
FY : 21 OER Courses, $1,794,500 in textbook cost savings
FY : 29 OER Courses, $2,406,200 in textbook cost savings

15. Raising Awareness, Providing Support
Campus Champions and Library Coordinators
Online Training and Development Series
Promotional Videos
In-person symposia and presentations at state events
One-stop website with modular tutorials for adoption, adaptation/creation
Babson Survey Research Group, “Opening the Textbook,”

16. How Can I Learn More? Tutorials on affordablelearninggeorgia.org
Help > Tutorial 1 and Tutorial 2
Information on open resources, finding textbooks, etc.

17. Questions? Any further questions, send me an email!