Open textbook
Encyclopedia
An open textbook is an openly-licensed textbook
offered online by its author(s) or through a non-profit or commercial open-licensed publisher. The open license sets open textbooks apart from traditional textbooks by allowing users to read online, download, or sometimes print the book at no additional cost. Some open textbook models allow users the choice to use free online access or low-cost alternate formats such as print, audio, or e-book as a means to pay authors modest royalties and fund publication expenses.
Open textbooks are increasingly seen as a potential solution to some of the challenges with the traditional textbook publishing model. Open textbooks were identified in the New Media Consortium
's 2010 Horizon Report as a component of the rapidly progressing adoption of open content
in higher education. Open textbooks are a component of open educational resources
.
. A license
or list of permissions must be clearly stated by the author.
Generally, the minimum baseline rights allow users at least the following:
Many authors also grant rights such as:
An example from The Community College Open Textbook Collaborative, a leading force in the field, describes the requirements of
an open text book as: free, or very nearly free; easy to use, get and pass around; editable so instructors can customize
content; printable; and accessible so it works with adaptive technologies that serve the needs of disabled students, including those with learning disabilities.
The CK-12 Foundation
uses similar standards but also must assure offerings are in harmony with state requirements. From their website, "FlexBooks conform to national and state textbook standards [for K-12 educational textbooks and materials]. They are free, easy to update and easy to customize. With FlexBooks, you can customize your textbooks to support your innovative work in the classroom. The CK-12 Foundation provides FlexBooks free to anyone who wants to use them."
Open textbooks are also seen by advocates as potential competition in the textbooks market. Nicole Allen
of Make Textbooks Affordable
told USA Today:
Overall, open textbooks have been found by the Student PIRGs to offer 80% or more savings to higher education students over traditional textbook publishers. Research commissioned by the Florida State Legislature found similarly high savings and the state has since implemented a system to facilitate adoption of open textbooks.
In the Florida legislative report, the governmental panel found after substantial consultation with educators, students, and administrators that "there are compelling academic reasons to use open access textbooks such as: improved quality, flexibility and access to resources, interactive and active learning experiences, currency of textbook information, broader professional collaboration, and the use of teaching and learning technology to enhance educational experiences." (OATTF, p. i) Similar state-backed initiatives are underway in Washington, Ohio, California, and Texas.
has produced a web-based cost comparison calculator for traditional and open K-12 textbooks. To use the calculator the inputs commercial textbook cost, planned replacement frequency, and number of annual textbook user count are required. A section is provided to input time requirements for adaptation to local needs, annual updating hours, labor rate, and an approximation of pages. The summary section applies an industry standard cost for print-on-demand of the adapted open textbook to provide a cost per student per year for both textbook options. A summed cost differential over the planned period of use is also calculated.
for his innovative music appreciation course in Connexions
. "Sound Reasoning" "takes a new approach [to teaching music appreciation]: It presents style-transcendent principles, illustrated by side-by-side examples from both traditional and contemporary music. The goal is to empower listeners to be able to listen attentively and think intelligently about any kind of music, no matter its style. Everything is listening based; no ability to read music is required." The module being completed with grant funds is entitled "Hearing Harmony." Dr. Brandt cites choosing the Connexions
open content
publishing platform because "it was an opportunity to present an innovative approach in an innovative format, with the musical examples interpolated directly into the text."
In December 2010, open textbook publisher Flat World Knowledge
was recognized by the American Library Association
's Business Reference and Services Section (ALA BRASS) by being named to the association's list of "Outstanding Business Reference Sources: The 2010 Selection of Recent Titles." The categories of business
and economics
open textbooks from Flat World Knowledge
's catalog were selected for this award and referenced as "an innovative new vehicle for affordable (or free) online access to premier instructional resources in business
and economics
." Specific criteria used by the American Library Association
BRASS when evaluating titles for selection were:
Connexions
announced a series of two grants in early 2011 that will allow them to produce a total of 20 open textbooks. The first five titles will be produced over an 18 month time frame for Anatomy & Physiology, Sociology, Biology, Biology for non-majors, and Physics. The second phase will produce and additional 15 titles with as of yet indeterminate subjects. It is noted the most expensive part of producing an open textbook is image rights clearing. As images are cleared for this project, they will be available for resuse in even more titles.
The Text and Academic Author's Association awarded a 2011 Textbook Excellence Award ("Texty")
to the first open textbook to ever win such recognition this year. A maximum of eight academic titles can earn this award each year. The title "Organizational Behavior" by Talya Bauer and Berrin Erdogan earned one of seven 2011 Textbook Excellence Awards granted. Bauer & Erdogan's "Organizational Behavior" open textbook is published by Flat World Knowledge
.
One common frustration with traditional textbooks is the frequency of new editions, which force the instructor to modify the curriculum to the new book. Any open textbook can be used indefinitely, so instructors need only change editions when they think it is necessary.
Many open textbooks are licensed to allow modification. This means that instructors can add, remove or alter the content to better fit a course's needs. Furthermore, the cost of textbooks can in some cases contribute to the quality of instruction when students are not able to purchase required materials. A Florida governmental panel found after substantial consultation with educators, students, and administrators that "there are compelling academic reasons to use open access textbooks such as: improved quality, flexibility and access to resources, interactive and active learning experiences, currency of textbook information, broader professional collaboration, and the use of teaching and learning technology to enhance educational experiences." (OATTF, p. i)
Waivers of copyright include:
pays its authors royalties on the sale of print copies and study aids. Other proposed models include grants, institutional support and advertising.
, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Findings specific to open textbooks detailed in the bill text are:
This legislation did not reach the floor of either chamber for debate or vote prior to the conclusion of the 111th Congress.
International Public Relations who is now acting as Executive Director for Higher Education for the Association of American Publishers. Hill & Knowlton
represented many clients with reputation problems, including Big Tobacco
beginning in 1953 when the firm launched a campaign to provide disinformation about smoking and cancer. Later, the firm arranged for false testimony to the U.S. Congress in the Nurse Nayirah
scandal. Hill & Knowlton
also represented Bank of Credit and Commerce International
after the bank was indicted for drug money laundering in the United States. Similar to any campaign designed to spread misinformation or eliminate competition for a monopolistic market, industry advocates are well-funded and aggressive.
and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
offered online by its author(s) or through a non-profit or commercial open-licensed publisher. The open license sets open textbooks apart from traditional textbooks by allowing users to read online, download, or sometimes print the book at no additional cost. Some open textbook models allow users the choice to use free online access or low-cost alternate formats such as print, audio, or e-book as a means to pay authors modest royalties and fund publication expenses.
Open textbooks are increasingly seen as a potential solution to some of the challenges with the traditional textbook publishing model. Open textbooks were identified in the New Media Consortium
New Media Consortium
The New Media Consortium is an international 5013 not-for-profit consortium of more than 250 colleges, universities, museums, corporations, and other learning-focused organizations dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and new technologies.NMC member institutions are found in almost...
's 2010 Horizon Report as a component of the rapidly progressing adoption of open content
Open content
Open content or OpenContent is a neologism coined by David Wiley in 1998 which describes a creative work that others can copy or modify. The term evokes open source, which is a related concept in software....
in higher education. Open textbooks are a component of open educational resources
Open educational resources
Open educational resources are digital materials that can be re-used for teaching, learning, research and more, made available for free through open licenses, which allow uses of the materials that would not be easily permitted under copyright alone...
.
Definition
For a textbook to be considered open, it must be licensed in a way that grants a baseline set of rights to users that are less restrictive than its standard copyrightCopyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
. A license
License
The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.A license may be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement...
or list of permissions must be clearly stated by the author.
Generally, the minimum baseline rights allow users at least the following:
- to use the textbook without compensating the author
- to copy the textbook, with appropriate credit to the author
- to distribute the textbook non-commercially
- to shift the textbook into another format (such as digital or print)
Many authors also grant rights such as:
- to add, remove or alter content in the textbook, often on the condition that derivative works must have the same license
- to copy and distribute the textbook without giving credit to the author
- to use the textbook commercially
An example from The Community College Open Textbook Collaborative, a leading force in the field, describes the requirements of
an open text book as: free, or very nearly free; easy to use, get and pass around; editable so instructors can customize
content; printable; and accessible so it works with adaptive technologies that serve the needs of disabled students, including those with learning disabilities.
The CK-12 Foundation
CK-12 Foundation
CK-12 is a non-profit organization based in California founded with the mission to reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market, both in the US and world-wide . They maintain the FlexBook open source tool for creating remixable texts, and as of July 2009 were developing 30...
uses similar standards but also must assure offerings are in harmony with state requirements. From their website, "FlexBooks conform to national and state textbook standards [for K-12 educational textbooks and materials]. They are free, easy to update and easy to customize. With FlexBooks, you can customize your textbooks to support your innovative work in the classroom. The CK-12 Foundation provides FlexBooks free to anyone who wants to use them."
Affordability
Since open textbooks can be used at no cost with technology mediation and printed at the cost of production, the use of open textbooks would reduce the cost of education significantly.Open textbooks are also seen by advocates as potential competition in the textbooks market. Nicole Allen
Nicole Allen
Nicole Allen is the Textbooks Advocate for The Student PIRGs and Campaign Director for Make Textbooks Affordable. She is best known for organizing over 2,000 professors to support the open textbooks and for authoring a report that challenges the publishing industry's digital textbook practices...
of Make Textbooks Affordable
Make Textbooks Affordable
The Make Textbooks Affordable campaign is a project of the Student PIRGs to reduce the high cost of college textbooks. The campaign, which launched in 2003, is best known for its research on textbook affordability and its advocacy for open textbooks...
told USA Today:
"The open textbooks that are out there serve as proof that it is possible to have a high-quality open textbook that is being used in classrooms. They might just be the thing that will change the textbook industry for the better."
Overall, open textbooks have been found by the Student PIRGs to offer 80% or more savings to higher education students over traditional textbook publishers. Research commissioned by the Florida State Legislature found similarly high savings and the state has since implemented a system to facilitate adoption of open textbooks.
In the Florida legislative report, the governmental panel found after substantial consultation with educators, students, and administrators that "there are compelling academic reasons to use open access textbooks such as: improved quality, flexibility and access to resources, interactive and active learning experiences, currency of textbook information, broader professional collaboration, and the use of teaching and learning technology to enhance educational experiences." (OATTF, p. i) Similar state-backed initiatives are underway in Washington, Ohio, California, and Texas.
K-12 Affordability
Research at Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
has produced a web-based cost comparison calculator for traditional and open K-12 textbooks. To use the calculator the inputs commercial textbook cost, planned replacement frequency, and number of annual textbook user count are required. A section is provided to input time requirements for adaptation to local needs, annual updating hours, labor rate, and an approximation of pages. The summary section applies an industry standard cost for print-on-demand of the adapted open textbook to provide a cost per student per year for both textbook options. A summed cost differential over the planned period of use is also calculated.
Milestones
In November 2010, Dr. Anthony Brandt was awarded an "Access to Artistic Excellence" grant from the National Endowment for the ArtsNational Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
for his innovative music appreciation course in Connexions
Connexions
Connexions is a global repository of educational content provided by Rice University. The entire collection is available free of charge, and students and learners alike can explore all the content they desire....
. "Sound Reasoning" "takes a new approach [to teaching music appreciation]: It presents style-transcendent principles, illustrated by side-by-side examples from both traditional and contemporary music. The goal is to empower listeners to be able to listen attentively and think intelligently about any kind of music, no matter its style. Everything is listening based; no ability to read music is required." The module being completed with grant funds is entitled "Hearing Harmony." Dr. Brandt cites choosing the Connexions
Connexions
Connexions is a global repository of educational content provided by Rice University. The entire collection is available free of charge, and students and learners alike can explore all the content they desire....
open content
Open content
Open content or OpenContent is a neologism coined by David Wiley in 1998 which describes a creative work that others can copy or modify. The term evokes open source, which is a related concept in software....
publishing platform because "it was an opportunity to present an innovative approach in an innovative format, with the musical examples interpolated directly into the text."
In December 2010, open textbook publisher Flat World Knowledge
Flat World Knowledge
Flat World Knowledge is a publisher of college-level open textbooks and educational supplements founded in 2007 by Eric Frank and Jeff Shelstad. Company headquarters are in Irvington, New York. As of December 2010, the publisher has over 74 textbooks in development or published. Flat World...
was recognized by the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
's Business Reference and Services Section (ALA BRASS) by being named to the association's list of "Outstanding Business Reference Sources: The 2010 Selection of Recent Titles." The categories of business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
open textbooks from Flat World Knowledge
Flat World Knowledge
Flat World Knowledge is a publisher of college-level open textbooks and educational supplements founded in 2007 by Eric Frank and Jeff Shelstad. Company headquarters are in Irvington, New York. As of December 2010, the publisher has over 74 textbooks in development or published. Flat World...
's catalog were selected for this award and referenced as "an innovative new vehicle for affordable (or free) online access to premier instructional resources in business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
and economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
." Specific criteria used by the American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
BRASS when evaluating titles for selection were:
"A resource compiled specifically to supply information on a certain subject or group of subjects in a form that will facilitate its ease of use. The works are examined for authority and reputation of the publisher, author, or editor; accuracy; appropriate bibliography; organization, comprehensiveness, and value of the content; currency and unique addition to the field; ease of use for intended purpose; quality and accuracy of indexing; and quality and usefulness of graphics and illustrations. Each year more electronic reference titles are published, and additional criteria by which these resources are evaluated include search features, stability of content, graphic design quality, and accuracy of links. Works selected are intended to be suitable for medium to large academic and public libraries."
Connexions
Connexions
Connexions is a global repository of educational content provided by Rice University. The entire collection is available free of charge, and students and learners alike can explore all the content they desire....
announced a series of two grants in early 2011 that will allow them to produce a total of 20 open textbooks. The first five titles will be produced over an 18 month time frame for Anatomy & Physiology, Sociology, Biology, Biology for non-majors, and Physics. The second phase will produce and additional 15 titles with as of yet indeterminate subjects. It is noted the most expensive part of producing an open textbook is image rights clearing. As images are cleared for this project, they will be available for resuse in even more titles.
The Text and Academic Author's Association awarded a 2011 Textbook Excellence Award ("Texty")
Textbook Excellence Award ("Texty")
A Textbook Excellence Award from the Text and Academic Authors Association recognizes current textbooks and learning materials based on criteria established by the group. Judges are veteran authors in appropriate subject areas. Nominations from eight subject areas are reviewed each year from...
to the first open textbook to ever win such recognition this year. A maximum of eight academic titles can earn this award each year. The title "Organizational Behavior" by Talya Bauer and Berrin Erdogan earned one of seven 2011 Textbook Excellence Awards granted. Bauer & Erdogan's "Organizational Behavior" open textbook is published by Flat World Knowledge
Flat World Knowledge
Flat World Knowledge is a publisher of college-level open textbooks and educational supplements founded in 2007 by Eric Frank and Jeff Shelstad. Company headquarters are in Irvington, New York. As of December 2010, the publisher has over 74 textbooks in development or published. Flat World...
.
Instruction
Open textbooks are flexible in ways that traditional textbooks are not, which gives instructors more freedom to use them in the way that best meets their instructional needs.One common frustration with traditional textbooks is the frequency of new editions, which force the instructor to modify the curriculum to the new book. Any open textbook can be used indefinitely, so instructors need only change editions when they think it is necessary.
Many open textbooks are licensed to allow modification. This means that instructors can add, remove or alter the content to better fit a course's needs. Furthermore, the cost of textbooks can in some cases contribute to the quality of instruction when students are not able to purchase required materials. A Florida governmental panel found after substantial consultation with educators, students, and administrators that "there are compelling academic reasons to use open access textbooks such as: improved quality, flexibility and access to resources, interactive and active learning experiences, currency of textbook information, broader professional collaboration, and the use of teaching and learning technology to enhance educational experiences." (OATTF, p. i)
Authorizations
The most common open licenses are:- Creative CommonsCreative CommonsCreative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
Attributionhttp://creativecommons.org/about/licenses - Creative CommonsCreative CommonsCreative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
Attribution Share-Alikehttp://creativecommons.org/about/licenses - Creative CommonsCreative CommonsCreative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alikehttp://creativecommons.org/about/licenses - GNU Free Documentation LicenseGNU Free Documentation LicenseThe GNU Free Documentation License is a copyleft license for free documentation, designed by the Free Software Foundation for the GNU Project. It is similar to the GNU General Public License, giving readers the rights to copy, redistribute, and modify a work and requires all copies and...
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/#FDL
Waivers of copyright include:
- Creative CommonsCreative CommonsCreative Commons is a non-profit organization headquartered in Mountain View, California, United States devoted to expanding the range of creative works available for others to build upon legally and to share. The organization has released several copyright-licenses known as Creative Commons...
Public DomainPublic domainWorks are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
Certification http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/
Authorship
Author compensation for open textbooks works differently than traditional textbook publishing. By definition, the author of an open textbook grants the public the right to use the textbook for free, so charging for access is no longer possible. However, numerous models for supporting authors are developing. For example, a startup open textbook publisher called Flat World KnowledgeFlat World Knowledge
Flat World Knowledge is a publisher of college-level open textbooks and educational supplements founded in 2007 by Eric Frank and Jeff Shelstad. Company headquarters are in Irvington, New York. As of December 2010, the publisher has over 74 textbooks in development or published. Flat World...
pays its authors royalties on the sale of print copies and study aids. Other proposed models include grants, institutional support and advertising.
Legislation
Legislation "to authorize grants for the creation, update, or adaption of open textbooks" and assure those developed would be made available under favorable licenses was introduced into the 111th United States Congress111th United States Congress
The One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. It began during the last two weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of...
, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Findings specific to open textbooks detailed in the bill text are:
- The growth of the InternetInternetThe Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
has enabled the creation and sharing of open contentOpen contentOpen content or OpenContent is a neologism coined by David Wiley in 1998 which describes a creative work that others can copy or modify. The term evokes open source, which is a related concept in software....
, including open educational resourcesOpen educational resourcesOpen educational resources are digital materials that can be re-used for teaching, learning, research and more, made available for free through open licenses, which allow uses of the materials that would not be easily permitted under copyright alone...
. - The President has proposed a new, significant Federal investment in the creation of online open-source courses for community colleges that will make learning more accessible, adaptable, and affordable for students.
- The President has challenged the United States with a goal of having the highest college graduation rate in the world by 2020.
- More than 80 percent of the 23,000,000 jobs that will be created in the next 10 years will require postsecondary education, but only 36 percent of all 18- to 24-year-olds are currently enrolled in postsecondary education.
- The high cost of college textbooks continues to be a barrierBarrierA barrier or barricade is a physical structure which blocks or impedes something.Barrier may also refer to:-Physical barriers:* Automatic full barriers, which serve to block roads at railway crossings...
for many students in achieving higher educationHigher educationHigher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
, and according to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, 200,000 qualified students fail to enroll in college each year due to cost. - The College BoardCollege BoardThe College Board is a membership association in the United States that was formed in 1900 as the College Entrance Examination Board . It is composed of more than 5,900 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations. It sells standardized tests used by academically oriented...
reported that for the 2007-2008 academic year an average student spent an estimated $805 to $1,229 on college books and supplies. - Making high quality open textbooks freely available to the general public could significantly lower college textbook costs and increase accessibility to such education materials.
- Open textbooks can improve learning and teaching by creating course materials that are more flexible, adaptable, and accessible through the use of technology.
This legislation did not reach the floor of either chamber for debate or vote prior to the conclusion of the 111th Congress.
Industry Opposition
The current higher education textbook industry has voiced stiff opposition to creation and adoption of open textbooks, actively seeking to thwart competition through aggressive lobbying and spreading disinformation. The industry is represented by a former Senior Vice President from Hill & KnowltonHill & Knowlton
Hill & Knowlton is a global public relations company, headquartered in New York City, United States, with 79 offices in 44 countries. Hill & Knowlton was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1927 by John W. Hill and is today led by Chairman & CEO, Paul Taaffe...
International Public Relations who is now acting as Executive Director for Higher Education for the Association of American Publishers. Hill & Knowlton
Hill & Knowlton
Hill & Knowlton is a global public relations company, headquartered in New York City, United States, with 79 offices in 44 countries. Hill & Knowlton was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1927 by John W. Hill and is today led by Chairman & CEO, Paul Taaffe...
represented many clients with reputation problems, including Big Tobacco
Big Tobacco
Big Tobacco is a pejorative term often applied to the tobacco industry in general, or more particularly to the "big three" tobacco corporations in the United States: Philip Morris , Reynolds American and Lorillard...
beginning in 1953 when the firm launched a campaign to provide disinformation about smoking and cancer. Later, the firm arranged for false testimony to the U.S. Congress in the Nurse Nayirah
Nurse Nayirah
Nayirah refers to the controversial testimony given before the non-governmental Congressional Human Rights Caucus on October 10, 1990, by a female who provided only her first name, Nayirah...
scandal. Hill & Knowlton
Hill & Knowlton
Hill & Knowlton is a global public relations company, headquartered in New York City, United States, with 79 offices in 44 countries. Hill & Knowlton was founded in Cleveland, Ohio in 1927 by John W. Hill and is today led by Chairman & CEO, Paul Taaffe...
also represented Bank of Credit and Commerce International
Bank of Credit and Commerce International
The Bank of Credit and Commerce International was a major international bank founded in 1972 by Agha Hasan Abedi, a Pakistani financier. The Bank was registered in Luxembourg with head offices in Karachi and London. Within a decade BCCI touched its peak...
after the bank was indicted for drug money laundering in the United States. Similar to any campaign designed to spread misinformation or eliminate competition for a monopolistic market, industry advocates are well-funded and aggressive.
Projects
A number of projects seek to develop, support and promote open textbooks. Two very notable advocates and supporters of open textbook and related open education projects include the William and Flora Hewlett FoundationWilliam and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation is a private foundation, established by Hewlett-Packard cofounder William Reddington Hewlett and his wife Flora Lamson Hewlett in 1967. The Hewlett Foundation awards grants to support educational and cultural institutions and to advance certain social and...
and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Higher Ed
- Make Textbooks AffordableMake Textbooks AffordableThe Make Textbooks Affordable campaign is a project of the Student PIRGs to reduce the high cost of college textbooks. The campaign, which launched in 2003, is best known for its research on textbook affordability and its advocacy for open textbooks...
http://www.studentpirgs.org/textbooks?id=wi - Open Textbook Catalog
- Faculty Statement on Open Textbooks
- The Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources
- The Open Textbook Project
- Flat World Knowledge
- Rice University Press
- Community College Open Textbook Collaborative
- Einstein University
K-12
- California Open Source Textbook ProjectCalifornia Open Source Textbook ProjectThe California Open Source Textbook Project is a collaborative, public/private undertaking created to address the high cost, content range, and consistent shortages of K-12 textbooks in California.-The plan:There are three main goals to COSTP:...
- Global TextGlobal TextGlobal Text or the Global Text Project is an emerging organisation dedicated to the assembly of free information material and its dissemination to the developing world under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Global Text is currently in a proof-of-concept phase with the preparation two...
- Free Textbooks Poland
- CK-12 FoundationCK-12 FoundationCK-12 is a non-profit organization based in California founded with the mission to reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market, both in the US and world-wide . They maintain the FlexBook open source tool for creating remixable texts, and as of July 2009 were developing 30...
FlexBooks - Free High School Science TextsFree high school science textsThe Free High School Science Texts organization is a South African non-profit project, which creates open textbooks on scientific subjects...
- South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
General
- Connexions
- Wikibooks
- The Collaborative Books
- MERLOT - Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching
External links
- Open Textbooks: Bringing Innovation to Business Programs Open textbooks are gaining momentum. But what exactly is an open textbook? How do new, disruptive business models harness technology and drive innovation at schools like Virginia State UniversityVirginia State UniversityVirginia State University is a historically black and land-grant university located north of the Appomattox River in Chesterfield, in the Richmond area. Founded on , Virginia State was the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of higher learning for black Americans...
and Boston CollegeBoston CollegeBoston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
? And what does this mean for you—how can you leverage open textbooks to increase innovation and lower costs for your course, department and/or school? Watch this one-hour webcast to learn more. This webcast includes commentary by Virginia State UniversityVirginia State UniversityVirginia State University is a historically black and land-grant university located north of the Appomattox River in Chesterfield, in the Richmond area. Founded on , Virginia State was the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of higher learning for black Americans...
professor, Andrew Feldstein, and Boston CollegeBoston CollegeBoston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
professor and Flat World Author, John Gallaugher. Originally recorded 2010. - Shining a Light on Textbook Affordability: Emerging Solutions in Ohio The University System of OhioUniversity System of OhioThe University System of Ohio is the public university system of the state of Ohio. Legally unified under Governor Ted Strickland in 2007, the University System of Ohio is governed by the Ohio Board of Regents....
has been a national leader in supporting innovations that help eliminate textbook costs as a financial barrier to college. Listen to Darlene McCoy, Associate Vice Chancellor, Division of Affordability and Efficiency, the University System of OhioUniversity System of OhioThe University System of Ohio is the public university system of the state of Ohio. Legally unified under Governor Ted Strickland in 2007, the University System of Ohio is governed by the Ohio Board of Regents....
; Steve Acker, Research Director, eTextOhio Project; and Eric Frank, President and Co-Founder, Flat World Knowledge, for a one-hour webcast to discuss solutions and innovations for Ohio. Originally recorded 2010. - How to Drive College Costs Down and Quality Up in TX and CA: Emerging Textbook Solutions California and Texas are poised to be national leaders in efforts to reduce barriers to higher education and combat escalating textbook prices. Join CA Senate Majority Leader Dean FlorezDean FlorezDean Raymond Florez was a California State Senator from the 16th Senate District from 2002 until the end of his second term in November of 2010.Florez was born and reared in the Central Valley....
; Dr. Charles Cook, Vice Chancellor, Houston Community College SystemHouston Community College SystemHouston Community College System is a community college system that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, and Stafford in Texas....
; Eric Frank, President, Flat World Knowledge; and Dennis Passovoy of The University of Texas at AustinUniversity of Texas at AustinThe University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
for this webcast on new textbook affordability initiatives and the rise of open textbooks. One-hour webcast. Originally recorded 2010.