6 Research: Foundation

There is an emerging body of research on the impact of OER on closing equity gaps, deepening student learning, and improving student success outcomes.

The development and use of OER can create more equitable learning experiences for all students. Simply stated, the cost of textbooks and other ancillary course materials should not be a barrier to success in higher education. Adoption of OER provides all students access to necessary textbooks[1] that will enable them to be more successful in class, persist from one semester to the next, and complete their degrees. In addition, OER closes equity gaps because it provides students who cannot afford required course materials access to the resources they need. This is important given the survey results from the Babson Survey Group (2018) which found that, in a survey of 2,700 U. S. faculty, 52 percent of faculty “believe that cost is the primary reason that not all students have access to required course materials” (Seaman, J.E. and Seaman, J., 2019).

Moreover, several studies, as referenced below, affirm that OER use also improves student success outcomes.

• Students were able to use their textbooks on the first day of class rather than waiting to buy the textbooks – if they bought them at all – until they could afford them.
• Students learned and performed better academically when they had immediate access to their educational materials.
• Research has also shown that OER initiatives address and improve the performance of all students, but especially the most under-represented students in the United States.

The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at the University of Georgia (UGA) began to encourage the use of OER in the summer of 2013. A study was conducted of faculty who taught large enrollment courses and were currently using an expensive textbook or textbook/technology package. For the more than 21,000 students involved in this study, not only did they enjoy significant savings using work mostly created by OpenStax, but there was also a positive impact on their learning. The study at the University of Georgia also showed a significant and positive impact on under-represented students:

When considering Federal Pell eligibility, we observed an increase in A through B+ letter grades and a decrease in B though DFW grades. A significant decrease in DFW rates for Pell-eligible students was found (a 4.43 percent change) when OER was adopted as the textbook for the class. This research [also] revealed significant differences in academic performance (average final grade) for both White and non-White students enrolled in OER courses. But the magnitude in which non-White students’ grades improved is very compelling (Colvard, Watson, & Park, 2018, p. 272).

These types of findings were echoed in the 2018 Achieving the Dream (ATD) community college study where 48 percent of Pell Grant recipients and 52 percent of under-represented minorities said OER courses had a significant impact on their ability to afford college compared to 41 percent for other students (Ashford, 2018). When students have access to course learning materials, it positively affects their in-class performance leading to student success, persistence, and completion.

The results from the 2018 ATD study were echoed again in the 2020 Achieving the Dream study conducted by their partners SRI Education and rpk GROUP (2020). This study involved eleven community colleges across the country. The average age of the study participants was 20. At least a third or more of the participating students were eligible for or had received a Pell grant. The proportion of students from historically under-represented ethnic minority groups ranged from 25 percent to 88 percent (SRI International, 2020). “In 6 of the 11 colleges, treatment students[2] taking OER courses accumulated significantly more course credits than those who had not taken any OER courses” (SRI International, 2020, p. 20). While the study did not find a significant impact on GPA by students taking OER courses, students maintained their GPAs despite taking more courses. Finally, “the number of credits earned by Pell students taking OER courses relative to their Pell-eligible peers was significantly higher than the number of credits earned by non-Pell-eligible students taking OER courses relative to their non-Pell-eligible peers” (SRI International, 2020, p. 4).

Additionally, the benefits for part-time students were equally compelling. Higher education often overlooks part-time students, and 71 percent are self-financing their education (Bombardieri, 2017). This population contains many under-represented students and tends to be concentrated at community colleges. The UGA study found a 53.12 percent increase in average course grades and a 29.54 percent decrease in DFW rates for part-time students (Colvard, Watson, & Park, 2018).

A common concern among faculty and administrators is the accessibility of digital resources. Disability Services professionals know that online websites and resources often are not as accessible as they should be, even if they pass basic Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. As Camille Thomas wrote in a piece for SPARC News, “We all benefit from good user experience and access that is comprehensive, beyond compliance at the bare minimum.”[3] Thus, the use of OER offers an opportunity to promote an expansive definition of equity that addresses issues related to accessibility for all students in higher education. In addition, in order to further facilitate disability access there are three resources that are particularly helpful for faculty to consider when choosing and/or creating OER that improve student access; especially students with disabilities:

1. The BC (British Columbia) Campus Open Education Accessibility Toolkit (2nd Edition 2018)[4] by Amanda Coolidge, Sue Doner, Tara Robertson, and Josie Gray;
2. The Floe Inclusive Design Learning Handbook[5] by the members of the Floe Project of the Inclusive Design Research Center at OCAD University; and
3. the adoption of Universal Design for Learning principles[6].

Finally, the use of OER enhances faculty pedagogy and produces “significant benefits in instruction and student learning experience,” according to the study from Achieving the Dream (Ashford, 2018). Over 60 percent of students reported their overall learning experience was higher in an OER course than in courses using traditional materials (Ashford, 2018; Colvin, Watson, & Park, 2018; Hilton, 2016; Hilton et al., 2016). It is important to add that the significant benefits are not because OER course materials are easier or of less quality. In a major meta-analysis conducted by Clinton and Kahn (2019), they found there was no meaningful differences in learning between students who utilized traditional textbooks and open textbooks. In addition, students using open textbooks were less likely to withdraw from their courses (Clinton & Kahn, 2019).

• [1] Whenever the phrase textbooks only are used, it also includes textbooks and other ancillary course materials.
• [2] These are defined as students who received a high degree of OER courses by enrolling in three or more.
• [3] Thomas, C. (2018, Oct 8). OER and Accessibility: Working Toward Inclusive Learning Open Education SPARC NEWS.  Retrieved from  https://sparcopen.org/news/2018/oer-accessibility-working-toward-inclusive-learning/
• [4] Coolidge, A., Doner, S., Robertson, T. & Gray, J. (2018). BCcampus open education accessibility toolkit. (2nd ed.). BCcampus. Retrieved fromhttps://opentextbc.ca/accessibilitytoolkit/
• [5] Floe Project (n.d.). Floe: The inclusive learning design handbook. Canada: Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University. Retrieved from https://handbook.floeproject.org/
• [6] TKI Inclusive Education. (n.d). Guide to Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved from https://www.inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/universal-design-for-learning/