MAKING TEXTBOOKS ACCESSIBLE FOR BOTH STUDENTS & INSTRUCTORS

Last week, the MHCC Textbook Affordability Team (TAT), celebrated a global event, Open Education Week, by hosting a series of campus learning events meant to inspire the use of Open Educational Resources (OER).

The TAT presented the events in conjunction with the MHCC Library and participating faculty members.

Mt. Hood students have already saved over $2 million since Summer Term 2017, when the college first started tracking savings, according to Hunter Grove, Associated Student Government (ASG) Academic Affairs Representative.

However, the TAT has said 9 out of 10 students still don’t know what OER is – and so the motivation for the learning events, to help better spread the word.

“I am passionate about OER,” Grove said, as he showed off a trifold board and other display materials he made with facts, figures and other details.

OER is basically using open-copyright textbooks and online resources instead of traditional, costly textbooks. With funding support from the MHCC Foundation and TAT grants, the college is promoting the impact and reach of scholarly work through open sharing that allows instructors to format their own instructional materials.

Whenever this is feasible, instruction itself can be easier, because it is more comprehensive and conducive to the instructor’s needs –with the added value of saving students money. With OER, textbooks are free, or low-cost.

Current Mt. Hood ASG President Kazu Lewis agreed, noting a video he created about OER for students, available on the MHCC website. (Look under ‘Course Search – How to find affordable textbooks.)

The word has spread to Mt. Hood’s instructors, who are slowly adapting to OER.

Lori Wamsley, faculty librarian in MHCC’s Library Resource Center, said she hopes more instructors will use OER. She recognizes each has the academic freedom to choose to do so, or not, but praised in particular changes made by biology instructor Lisa Bartee, noting her dedication to implementing more affordability.

“(She) is a great example of an instructor who has found a way to make OER work well,” Wamsley said.

Bartee herself said, “I would never go back to using a published text, although they (textbook sales reps) stop by and ask all the time. An open-copyright textbook can be edited; I can add pertinent information, or delete (non)required sections. The best part of OER texts, aside from the savings to students, is that when a large amount of content can be edited, it helps with student confusion ‘on the fly!’ ”

The OER events ran March 2-6, and included webinars about getting started with OER; identifying, adapting to and authoring the resources; and open pedagogy (instruction) through collaboration.

There also were two open forums for attendees to provide feedback on MHCC’s Textbook Affordability Plan. Concluding the activities, nine faculty members attended a panel discussion to share the experiences they’ve had with transitioning to the use of OER.