#222 Presentation

Tuesday 17 April 14:00 - 14:30 Armitage Room

An Examination of the Cost Savings and Learning Impacts of using Open Textbooks

John Hilton & David Wiley, Brigham Young University, US

Conference Theme: Impact

Summary: We report on a series of studies examining cost savings and learning impact of using OER in high school and college classrooms.

Abstract: Proponents of open educational resources claim that significant cost savings are possible when open textbooks displace traditional textbooks in the classroom. We report on a series of studies we have done examining the cost savings and learning impact of using open textbooks in high school and college classrooms. In one study we worked with 20 high school science teachers (collectively teaching approximately 3500 students) who adopted open textbooks. We identified and implemented a successful model of open textbook adoption that reduced costs over 50% compared to the cost of adopting traditional textbooks. In addition, we examined the standardized test scores of students using the open textbooks and found no apparent differences in the results of students who used open textbooks. We also report on a separate study in a series of community colleges, focusing on how students and teachers perceived the open textbooks, and the correlation between the use of open textbooks and student dropout rates.