With OER, students don’t choose between academic goals and financial well-being

To the editors,

The August 26 article, “Survey: Cost of Course Materials Impacts Student Success” highlights how students are making course decisions based on the cost of textbooks rather than academic interests or career goals, however it fails to mention a critical textbook affordability mechanism: open educational resources (OER). OER directly addresses the high cost of commercial textbooks by serving as a free, accessible and high-quality alternative. By replacing costly textbooks with free, openly licensed instructional materials, colleges and universities can ensure that all students have access to the required materials, helping them pursue the courses that align with their academic and career aspirations. With OER, students no longer have to choose between their academic goals and their financial well-being.

The article quotes a recent survey by Bay View Analytics in which 40 percent of student respondents “said that their financial aid does not cover any of their textbooks or related costs.” OER promotes equity by ensuring that all students, regardless of socioeconomic status, have equal access to learning materials.

The report that the article cites mentions how “over half (53 percent) of students do not register for a specific course”  or are at risk of not performing well because they cannot afford the textbooks. OER directly combats this issue by giving every student access to the materials they need from day one of the course without an added cost burden.

Efforts to develop and sustain high-quality, openly licensed educational materials are growing. We represent one such effort: since 2018, DOERS3 has worked to advance OER sustainability across 37 participating systems and statewide/provincewide initiatives, which serve more than 7.84 million students at 876 colleges and universities in the US and Canada. 

As a result, knowledge of OER among faculty and students is growing. In a 2023 report by Bay View Analytics, 72 percent of faculty reported some level of awareness of OER, with 59 percent saying that they were “aware” or “very aware” of OER, a data point that has trended upward for the past decade. Student leaders are also advocating for faculty to consider using OER, recognizing the value of OER in reducing the cost of higher education and providing opportunities for faculty to customize content – often with students as partners – to better meet student learning needs.

The steering committee of the Driving OER Sustainability for Student Success (DOERS3) multi-state collaborative.