Open Educational Resources (OER): Why Choose OER?

Open Educational Resources

OER are textbooks and other learning resources that are openly licensed, typically through a Creative Commons license, with the ability for instructors and students to freely retain copies, re-use, revise, remix and share. OER are free, no-cost materials and offer availability by the first day of class, access into the future after the course ends, and the most affordable cost for students of $0.

In 2024, LCCC's Faculty Senate voted to endorse the Learning Materials Principles in the document below. It outlines the following guiding principles when selecting course materials: Service, Choice, Quality, Equitability, Transparency, and Shared Governance.

Automatic textbook billing programs, commonly marketed by textbook companies as “inclusive access” or “equitable access,” are sales models for textbooks and other course materials. These programs are typically structured to include access to digital materials by the first day of class and are automatically billed on top of the cost of tuition. Vendors or institutions have a variety of names for these programs, including “First Day,” “Instant Access,” and “Day One Access."

Inclusive Access

"Inclusive access” programs typically operate on a course-by-course sales model. Students receive temporary access to digital materials by the first day of class. Programs are inclusive in that textbooks and sometimes homework systems are automatically billed as a fee paid alongside tuition.

Equitable Access

"Equitable access” programs operate on a flat fee per credit hour sales model. Equitable access programs are ‘all or nothing’ with students either paying for their full course load or opting out for all courses, even if some of their courses use free resources. These programs are equitable in that all students pay an equal amount regardless of their major.

Things to Consider

• Equitable access programs often have student participation quotas. For example, if 10-15% of students opt-out of automatic billing and seek alternative options on the used market or through the library, negotiated discounts would be reduced.
• In 90% of contracts studied by Student PIRGs, colleges received a commission on equitable access sales, typically at least 7%.
• In 2024, U.S. Department of Education proposed the elimination of automatic textbook billing programs as part of its effort to reduce add-on college “junk fees.” It found that these programs remove competition from the textbook market and diminish student affordability and choice.

Questions to Ask About Automatic Textbook Billing Programs

• Are students and faculty being given an opportunity to provide feedback about the program before it is selected or implemented?
• What is the opt-out period? What about the option for students to opt-in instead?
• Can students selectively opt-out of courses, or is it all or nothing?
• Are materials still accessible to students after a course ends?
• Can Open Educational Resources and no-cost courses be opted out from the program?
• What are the vendor’s student data privacy policies?
• What have students been historically spending on course materials at the institution?
• What is the risk for vendor lock-in by selecting this program?
• How will the program be evaluated after year one?

Questions from Steven Bell's “What You Need to Know about Inclusive and Equitable Access Programs” webinar and SPARC’s Roadmap for Action.