Inequitable Impacts of Textbook Costs at a Small, Private College: Results from a Textbook Survey at Gettysburg College
Published | March 2021 |
Journal | Open Praxis Volume 13, Issue 1, Pages 69-87 |
Country | United States, North America |
ABSTRACT
Recognizing that higher education settings vary considerably, librarians at Gettysburg College sought to better understand textbook spending behaviors and the effects of costs on our students. We adapted the Florida Virtual Campus 2016 Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey to suit the context of our small, private, liberal arts college. Most students spent $300 in Fall 2019. Financial aid awards did not cover the cost of required books and course materials for most students receiving aid. Negative effects were more pronounced for first-generation students and Pell Grant recipients, who were more likely to not purchase required books, to not register for a course due to cost, and to struggle academically. Some reported negative effects beyond their academic lives, as well. We recommend adoption of Open Educational Resources as an equity-minded practice that addresses this academic success barrier.Keywords | textbook survey · OER · undergraduate students · private college |
Language | English |
ISSN | 2304-070X |
Refereed | Yes |
Rights | CC BY-SA |
DOI | 10.5944/openpraxis.13.1.1147 |
Export options | BibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar |
AVAILABLE FILES
Viewed by 1351 distinct readers
CLOUD COMMUNITY REVIEWS
The evaluations below represent the judgements of our readers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cloud editors.










Click a star to be the first to rate this document
▶ POST A COMMENT
SIMILAR RECORDS
Developing open practices in teacher education: An example of integrating OER and developing renewable assignments
Van Allen, Jennifer; Katz, Stacy
This manuscript offers a reasoning for and example of integrating Open Educational Resources (OER) and open pedagogy within a teacher education course. We highlight a collaborative partnership between library faculty ...
Match: oer; united states; north america
The effectiveness of Open Educational Resources in college calculus. A quantitative study
Kersey, Scott
We investigate Open Educational Resources (OER) in post-secondary Calculus with face-to-face instruction using web-based homework in a side-by-side comparison with Closed (Proprietary) Educational Resources (CER). ...
Match: oer; united states; north america
Using Open Educational Resources at Viterbo University: Faculty and Student Feedback
Oelfke, Alissa L.; Sadowski, Jennifer A.; Mathwig Ramseier, Cari; Iremonger, Christopher; et al.
This study evaluated a coordinated and collaborative pilot implementation of open educational resources (OER) across multiple disciplines including nursing, accounting, environmental science, religious studies, and ...
Match: oer; united states; north america
OER state legislative guide
Creative Commons USA
This week, Creative Commons USA released a new resource for state policymakers interested in tackling the high cost of college textbooks and improving student outcomes in the process. The resource, an “OER State ...
Match: oer; united states; north america
College textbooks made more accessible through Netflix-like subscription
Roddy, Kate
Through a new subscription service, students are given unlimited access to over 20,000 online resources.
Match: oer; united states; north america
Open Educational Resources and collaborative content development: A practical guide for state and school leaders
Patrick, Susan; Bliss, TJ; Tonks, DeLaina
Open Educational Resources and Collaborative Content Development: A Practical Guide for State and School Leaders – written by TJ Bliss, Ph.D. of the Idaho State Department of Education, DeLaina Tonks of the Mountain ...
Match: oer; united states; north america
An OER COUP: College teacher and student perceptions of Open Educational Resources
Bliss, TJ; Robinson, Jared T.; Hilton, John; Wiley, David A.
Despite increased development and dissemination, there has been very little empirical research on Open Educational Resources (OER). Teachers and students involved in a large-scale OER initiative at eight community ...
Match: oer; united states; north america
Structuring actions for open educational resources adoption
Wang, Shouhong; Wang, Hai
Open educational resources (OER) are growing over the past decade. While OER can make educational resources widely available to all students and educators for free, OER are still untried by the majority of instructors, ...
Match: oer; united states; north america
FacultyPerceptions and Use of Open Educational Resources in Postsecondary STEM Classrooms
Posadas, Gabriel
This study examined how faculty in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) or STEM-related fields perceive and utilize open educational resources (OER) in their classrooms and how faculty ...
Match: oer; united states; north america
On the efficacy of Open Educational Resources
Delgado, Huimei; Delgado, Michael; Hilton III, John
Open educational resources (OER), which are free and openly licensed educational materials, have been a widely discussed topic in response to high textbook costs, the need for more pedagogical flexibility, and ...
Match: oer; united states; north america