Interviews were conducted with twelve faculty members at community colleges in California who adopted open textbooks in their teaching practice for one academic term or longer. The interviews queried faculty on motivation to undertake the adoption, pedagogical considerations, student savings and feedback, and support from other campus stakeholders. Faculty were asked how their teaching and student learning was affected as a result of adopting an open textbook in their course. Specifically they were asked if they were collaborating more with other faculty members and whether they were now using a wider range of instructional materials in their courses. With regards to student learning, they were asked if they believed that student learning had improved or whether student retention had improved as a result of the adoption of an open and free textbook. Any unanticipated outcomes that had resulted from the adoption either in their own practice or with students was also queried. In addition to the faculty and students, other stakeholders on campus are often involved in the decision and process to adopt an open textbook. College initiatives or pilot programs to increase access and equity were sometimes the instigators for making the change and other times it was strictly a faculty decision. Library, instructional design, and bookstore staff were other stakeholders who played roles in the adoption process. Attend this presentation to better understand the motivations of college faculty who adopt open textbooks and how it affected their teaching practice. Hear about the challenges they encountered and any unexpected outcomes. Learn what students had to say about using open textbooks in the classroom and how it affected their learning and ability to be successful.

1. Motivation & Reflections on
Open Textbook Adoption
Faculty Interviews with thirteen
community college instructors
Una Daly, Curriculum Design & College Outreach
Open Education Consortium
Unless otherwise indicated, this presentation is licensed CC-BY 4.0

2. Context
• California state funds the three public
higher education systems to review open
textbooks for the top 50 courses to
promote use of OER and reduce costs.
– Signed into law in September 2012
– Funding secured December 2013

3. California
Open Textbook Project
• CA OER Council
– Review open textbooks for top 50 college
courses
– Promote faculty adoption
• COOL4Ed Library
– Curated list of open textbooks
– Faculty OER adoption showcases

4. Faculty Showcase Goals
• Increase awareness of OER usage
• Provide case studies of working models
including textbook, syllabi, assignments,
and assessments.
• Recognize faculty who have adopted

5. Interview Methodology
• Faculty referrals
• Online surveys or phone interviews
• Questions
– 1. open textbook selection
– 2. teaching and learning impacts
– 3. oer adoption process & feedback

6. Community Colleges
• Public two-year colleges
– Transfer curriculum to 4-year universities
– Workforce certificate programs
– Basic skills/remedial coursework

7. Faculty Interviews
Mar 2015- Jan 2015
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Economics
• Education
• History
• Math
• Public Speaking
• Statistics
• Sociology
• 13 faculty
• 11 colleges
• Student Enrollments
– Avg: 14,500
– Median: 16,300
– Smallest: 2458
– Largest: 23,000
• Semi-rural: 46 %
• Suburban : 54 %
• Urban: 0%

8. Sociology
Chemistry
Faculty OER Showcases

9. Student Demographics
• Non-majors: 90%
• Working students: many
• Remediation: reading/writing primarily
but math skills as well
• First generation college: many

10. Finding 1
• Faculty Motivation
– Make affordable, accessible – 100%
– Enhanced pedagogy & learning – 60 %
– Customization – 40 %
– Adaptation – 100 %
Image: faculty meeting fun by alex ragone, cc-by-nc-sa

11. Finding 2
• How textbook was found?
– OER Pilot – 40%
– Colleagues – 23%
– Author – 23%
– Independent Search – 14%
Image: Card catalog, licensed by reeding lessons CC-BY-NC-SA

12. Finding 3
• Teaching Impact
– No curricular changes – 100%
– More faculty collaboration – 53%
– Expanded instructional materials – 100%
Image: Engineering Expo 10, licensed by Westpoing CC-BY-NC-ND

13. Finding 4
• Student Impacts
– Outcomes at least as good – 100%
– Outcomes improved – 25%
– Independent learning improved – 25%
– Retention improved – 15%
Image: Graduation by besighyawn, CC-BY-NC 3.0

14. Finding 5
• Student Feedback
– Cost reduction welcome – 100%
– Print copies needed – 20-50 %
Image: Nursing Students by besighyawn, CC-BY-NC 3.0

15. Finding 6
• Campus support
– Bookstore prints or sells OER - < 50%
– Library involvement < 50 %
– Curriculum committees involved
Image: American Library Collection Area at Wikimedia released into public domain

16. Customization
Dr. Anne Marenco, Sociology Department College of the Canyons,
http://cool4ed.org

17. Open Pedagogy
Dr. Brent Riffel, History Department College of the Canyon
http://cool4ed.org

18. Collaboration & Partnerships
Dr. Barbara Illowsky, Mathematics Department, De Anza College
http://cool4ed.org

19. Department Adoptions
Roy Shahbazian, Mathematics Department Santa Ana College
http://cool4ed.org

20. Recent Community College
Research
• Washington State Community & Technical
Colleges (SBCTC) Qualitative Faculty
Research
• OER Research Hub

21. SBCTC Qualitative Faculty
Research
• Faculty Motivation
– Make education more accessible **
– Pedagogical freedom enabled with OER **
• Benefits of OER
– Cost savings **
– Enhanced instructional responsiveness **
– Faculty Reflection
– Expanded materials **
– Convenience **
Boyoung Chae & Mark Jenkins, SBC Qualitative Faculty Research,
2015, http://goo.gl/dERBtX

22. OER impact on teaching practice
http://oerresearchhub.org
6%
13%
14%
14%
16%
18%
19%
21%
22%
23%
3%
5%
1%
3%
4%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
I make use of a wider range of multimedia
I reflect more on the way that I teach
I have broadened my coverage of the curriculum
I now use OER study to develop my teaching
I have improved ICT skills
I more frequently compare my own teaching with others
I have a more up-to-date knowledge of my subject area
I use a broader range of teaching and learning methods
I collaborate more with colleagues
I make more use of culturally diverse resources
strongly agree– agree– neither agree nor disagree– disagree– strongly disagree–

23. Perceptions of OER impact on learners
http://oerresearchhub.org
8.5%
8.6%
8.7%
11.5%
11.8%
12.3%
14.3%
15.2%
15.2%
15.4%
15.5%
17.1%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
... increases learners' interest in the subjects taught
... builds learners' confidence
... allows me to better accommodate diverse learners' needs
... increases learner collaboration and/or peer-support
... increases learners’ enthusiasm for future study
... increases learners' participation in class discussions
... increases learners' satisfaction with the learning experience
... leads to improved student grades
... increases learners' engagement with lesson content
... develops learner independence and self-reliance
... leads to learner interest in a wider range of subjects
... increases learners' experimentation with ways of learning
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree

24. Conclusions
• OER usage can support:
– Instructor customization and student
engagement
– Collaboration which brings in other
expertise/partners
– Active and independent learning
– Reduced costs
– Department-wide adoptions

25. Una Daly : unatdaly@oeconsortium.org
Thank you for coming!!
Questions??