Be it enacted by the Connecticut College Student Government Association (SGA), that the SGA strongly supports the use of open textbooks at Connecticut College;
Whereas, the price of textbooks rose eighty-eight percent in the past decade, according to the Consumer Price Index; and
Whereas, the cost of college textbooks is often a major affordability issue for students, who take on extra financial burdens to pay for textbooks, or undercut their own learning by forgoing the purchase of textbooks; and
Whereas, an ‘open textbook’ is defined as: a textbook written by education professionals and released online under an open license permitting everyone to freely use, print, share, and adapt the material; and
Whereas, faculty members may consider using open educational resources (OER), including open textbooks, in their courses as long as there is no reduction in educational quality; and
Whereas, a survey conducted by Information Services in Fall 2021 revealed that Conn students echo all the aforementioned statements (results), Whereas, colleges that have created programs to increase their use of OER are already saving their students millions of dollars in textbook costs; and
Therefore be it resolved, the SGA supports OER at Connecticut College;
Therefore be it further resolved, the SGA strongly recommends faculty members to consider open textbooks and other low-cost course materials when selecting materials for their classes; so
Be it finally resolved, that the SGA approve the resolution with a simple majority vote.
OER @ Connecticut College originated with the library and instructional technology groups. In spring 2018, Information Services formed the OER Explorers in order to research programs, funding sources, and support models at other institutions. Members of this group included representatives from Information Services (library and instructional technology), registrar’s office, financial aid, Academic Resource Center, and faculty. The committee recommended the creation of an OER grant program. Additional activities in support of OER and course materials affordability are outlined in the OER at Connecticut College page.
The OER grant program receives funding from Information Services, Dean of the Faculty, Dean of Students, and Academic Resource Center. After three rounds of grants, 15 adoption grants and two creation grants have been awarded. In total, the grant program has saved students $74,700 in textbook costs to date.
In summer 2021, with support from President Katherine Bergeron and Vice President for Information Services Lee Hisle, a group of staff and faculty joined the year-long AAC&U OER Institute (IOER). After an intensive week of meetings and workshops in July 2022, the Connecticut College team developed an Action Plan (available below) which aims to achieve a broader integration of OER and Open Pedagogy by building a culture of openness that engages multiple departments and communities across campus. The purpose is to reduce prohibitive course material costs for all students, transform course materials so that diverse voices are represented, and support the development of unique, creative courses.
Part of the action plan is to develop a faculty OER Policy that will be endorsed by faculty at a regularly scheduled faculty meeting. This page provides information to support this effort.
Connecticut College faculty are committed to the College’s mission of academic excellence and equity. The rising costs of textbooks and materials has created barriers to success for some students, especially those least able to afford required textbooks. Open Educational Resources (OER) allow students to use freely available course materials available on the first day of class. OER allow faculty to customize course materials and select content that includes diverse, marginalized, or silenced voices.
All faculty are encouraged to adopt OER course materials when and if faculty finds OER of appropriate quality and rigor with acceptable supplemental instructional resources. When considering an OER for a course, the OER itself and the supplemental resources associated with it must be accessible and meet Section 508 compliance. Connecticut College shall make use of OER materials in accordance with applicable copyright laws.
- Draft 10/18/2021
Why a policy?
Many faculty have made the switch to open, freely available course materials. A policy encourages more faculty to find and incorporate OER. A policy sends a strong signal to the community that faculty are committed to decreasing the total cost of a Connecticut College education whenever possible. Finally, it creates a safe environment for faculty to explore the potential of OER. Read about the many benefits of OER.
What is this policy asking me to do?
When developing or revising a course, the policy asks you to find, evaluate, and consider open course materials when selecting course materials. If OER "of appropriate quality and rigor with acceptable supplemental instructional resources" are identified, faculty should use those materials. Finally, it requires these materials to be accessible to all students.
What if there are no suitable OER materials for my courses?
There will NOT be suitable materials for all courses! The policy simply requests that you look for and consider available OER. The OER landscape is changing quickly; new materials are published every day. We recommend seeking OER when preparing your courses each semester.
What about library materials? They are not OER, but free to students.
We strongly encourage the use of library materials in courses. One of our goals is to decrease costs to students; using library materials which are free to students is one important tool we can use to accomplish this.
What support is available to help me implement the policy?
The RS&CT team can help. Librarians are available to help you find both OER and library materials, instructional technologists can work with you to integrate them into your course and develop supplemental materials and activities. We offer related workshops and programming throughout the year. Finally, both the College and State of Connecticut offer grants to support all aspects of this work, from finding to creating OER.
Will I need to demonstrate that I am adhering to the policy when creating my courses?
No, it will not be necessary to prove anything about your course materials selection process to anyone. Similar to the Open Access policy passed in 2012, day-to-day administration of this policy will be the responsibility of the Director of Research Support and Curricular Technology. The Information Services Committee will be responsible for interpreting this policy, establishing guidelines for its implementation and recommending changes. The Committee will review the Policy three years after its initiation and present a report to the faculty.