"Back in 2011, as a keynote speaker for the MN eLearning Summit, Dr. Cable Green, Director of Open Education at Creative Commons (the legal licensing behind open educational resources), asked a question that stopped me in my tracks: “How are your students supposed to learn with books they can’t afford and are not buying?” As a long-time English teacher who was frequently frustrated about needing to buy yet another updated edition of a pricey literature anthology that had undergone only minor changes, the question resonated deeply with me."—Source: WCET Frontiers
WHY THIS MATTERS:
Are you sitting down? The average US higher education student owes approx $30,000 in student loans. Yes, $30K. With figures so staggering, open textbooks aren't just a "cool" option. The time is now for institutions to conduct the needs analysis and the due diligence to explore strategies for making open textbooks viable. The cost savings will be immediate. Check out the great work by the Open Textbook Network, a group of more than "600 campuses dedicated to promoting access, affordability, and student success through the use of open textbooks." —Eduwire Editors
