The Rise of Open Textbooks

Many teachers and faculty have a difficult time figuring out how to use OCW in their teaching. OCW is structured like an online class, but doesn't provide all the support needed to run a fully online course. OER is on the other end of the spectrum. OER exists in so many small bits and pieces flung so far across the web that it's hard for teachers and faculty to figure out how to find and use them effectively. So in a branding or marketing move similar to the change of language to open source, we now have "open textbooks."

Open textbooks are collections of open educational resources organized in a manner that looks like a traditional textbook. (Or, if you prefer, open textbooks are textbooks that use a Creative Commons license.) While this organizational scheme may not seem particularly innovative, faculty and teachers know how to use textbooks to support their teaching. Consequently, open textbooks appear to be having a broader and more practical impact on formal education than either OpenCourseWare or stand-alone open educational resources have to date.

Erik Christensen talks about teaching with an open textbook.
This video is (c) Erik Christensen and is not covered by the course's CC BY license.

Another way of viewing the rise of open textbooks is from the perspective of students. The Student PIRGS' Make Textbooks Affordable Links to an external site. campaign makes the argument clearly:

Everyone knows that textbooks prices are outrageous. Students spend an average of $1,168 a year Links to an external site. on textbooks and course materials, and prices have been rising more than for times the rate of inflation Links to an external site. for the past two decades!

It’s no accident that textbooks are so expensive. Publishing companies have been raking in huge profits while engaging in bad practices that drive up costs: issuing new editions that make used books hard to find, bundling textbooks with unnecessary CDs and pass-codes, and more. They get away with it because students don’t have a choice -- we’ve got to buy the book they’re selling, even if the price is outrageous.

The good news is that we're making progress. Students can save hundreds through discounted options like renting, used books and bookswaps on campus. At the same time, lasting solutions like open-source textbooks Links to an external site. are gaining traction, which could literally revolutionize the textbook market by offering free online access and reducing costs up to 80% Links to an external site..

So who creates these textbooks? And where do they come from?