Key Findings
Over the past year, CDHE and the OER Council have established a community of learning, practice and
innovation. Key findings suggest a meaningful current impact and promising future. Most significantly:
1 Current performance measures indicate a striking return on the State’s initial
investment. In addition to a projected $3.4 million in student savings from $550,000
in grant funding—a nearly seven-fold return on investment—awareness and
enthusiasm have increased through capacity-building.
2 National trends and local data suggest OER supports student learning outcomes
while lowering costs for students. The majority of students and faculty who have
used both OER and traditional textbooks believe OER are of equal or higher quality,
making it increasingly challenging to justify the high price of commercial textbooks.
3 Building capacity and funding creates a statewide ecosystem for successful OER
adoption. Fortunately, in Colorado both funding and support for OER implementation
have been coordinated through the work of the OER Council and CDHE, providing the
best opportunity for the broadest impact.

Keywords

OER · higher education · open textbooks · cost savings · institutional policy