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The use of OER can provide tremendous cost savings. The cost of textbooks can be a huge financial burden for many students. This affects student success, degree completion, and college retention rates. Paradoxically, students who take fewer classes per term in order to spend less on textbooks may not only delay their graduation date, but may also spend more on tuition over time. OER provide students with immediate and long term access to free course materials. In addition, research reviewed by the Open Education Group shows that most students perform as well or better using OER course materials compared with students using traditional textbooks.
When faculty use OER, we aren’t just saving students money on textbooks: we are directly impacting that students’ ability to enroll in, persist through, and successfully complete a course. ~ Jhangiani & DeRosa, 2017
The Florida Virtual Campus’ 2022 Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey demonstrates that the cost of commercial textbooks continues to negatively impact student access, success, and completion.
"Infographic: Impact of Student Textbook Costs on Student Progress” by Florida Virtual Campus Office of Distance Learning & Student Services, 2022 is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Student engagement and advocacy are additional benefits to OER. Students’ voices are critical in the conversation surrounding affordability and inclusive course materials. Consider reaching out to your Student Government Association and/or other student groups on your campus to get them involved. National Student Public Interest Research Groups (StudentPIRGs) provide resources and strategies for students to use to advocate for textbook affordability on campus. Faculty and administrators can also invite students to serve on planning committees related to OER and textbook affordability. Other ideas for student engagement and advocacy can be found in these resources:
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