Location
Room 129
Proposal Track
Research Project
Session Format
Presentation
Preferred Time
Friday morning
Abstract
Rising textbook costs are creating additional debt for college students and in some cases, are causing students to forgo purchasing a textbook (Mitchell, 2014). Open educational resources (OER), which are typically free or low-cost, have become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional paper textbooks. In this study, we examined perceptions and effectiveness of an OER in an introductory psychology course at a small, public university in Georgia. We compared 1) perceptions of the type of textbook students were using (perceptions of OERs among students using an OER and traditional paper texts among students using traditional paper texts) and 2) course performance (i.e., exam grades). First, we found that students preferred the textbook format they were given: Students who used the OER preferred using the OER to a traditional paper text, and students using a traditional paper text preferred using a paper text. Second we compared exam grades across the two courses. Although initial differences were found, these differences were not statistically significant, t(64) = -1.329, p = 1.88. This presentation is based on a completed research project. Implications for using OER in all disciplines will be discussed.
Keywords
open educational resources, textbooks, college students
Recommended Citation
Grissett, Judy O. and Huffman, Charles, "Open-Educational Resources (OERs) in the College Classroom: A Case Study" (2015). Georgia Educational Research Association Conference. 21.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gera/2015/2015/21
Included in
Open-Educational Resources (OERs) in the College Classroom: A Case Study
Room 129
Rising textbook costs are creating additional debt for college students and in some cases, are causing students to forgo purchasing a textbook (Mitchell, 2014). Open educational resources (OER), which are typically free or low-cost, have become an increasingly popular alternative to traditional paper textbooks. In this study, we examined perceptions and effectiveness of an OER in an introductory psychology course at a small, public university in Georgia. We compared 1) perceptions of the type of textbook students were using (perceptions of OERs among students using an OER and traditional paper texts among students using traditional paper texts) and 2) course performance (i.e., exam grades). First, we found that students preferred the textbook format they were given: Students who used the OER preferred using the OER to a traditional paper text, and students using a traditional paper text preferred using a paper text. Second we compared exam grades across the two courses. Although initial differences were found, these differences were not statistically significant, t(64) = -1.329, p = 1.88. This presentation is based on a completed research project. Implications for using OER in all disciplines will be discussed.
