Friends of the UNCG Libraries: Solving the Textbook Cost Crisis with Open Educational Resources

"The cost of college textbooks has grown to a point that virtually every campus is now seeking solutions. While many colleges and universities like UNCG have successfully reduced costs through stop-gap measures such as rental programs and textbook reserves, the greatest potential for permanently solving the problem lies in Open Educational Resources (OERs), which are academic materials that are freely available online for everyone to use, adapt, and share.  Institutions across the country have begun to leverage OERs to reduce textbook costs, expand access to information, and enable faculty to better tailor materials to their courses. This talk will provide an overview of the OER movement to date, including how to identify OERs, how they are created, and research showing the impact on students. It will also help frame the opportunity for UNCG to advance OER right on campus."