{"id":165,"date":"2016-07-08T13:44:45","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T20:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=165"},"modified":"2024-04-02T15:13:51","modified_gmt":"2024-04-02T22:13:51","slug":"biology-textbook-grant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/biology-textbook-grant\/","title":{"rendered":"OSU wins grant to adapt free biology textbook, cut $100K in student costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

July 18, 2016<\/em><\/p>\n

CORVALLIS, Ore. \u2013 Oregon State University is increasing its efforts to make college more affordable for its students, particularly through the use of free, open access textbooks online and other essential course materials.<\/p>\n

The latest example surfaced last week when the university was awarded a $30,000 grant by the State of Oregon for an open textbook project.<\/p>\n

Lindsay Biga and Devon Quick, instructors in Oregon State\u2019s Department of Integrative Biology, will use the grant to collaborate with faculty from other state institutions to adapt a biology textbook that will be freely accessible online to OSU students and learners worldwide.<\/p>\n

It is estimated the textbook will eliminate $100,000 in student spending each year, and it is one of 16 open textbooks in use by OSU students or in production by OSU faculty.<\/p>\n

\u201cOregon State is proactively developing and adapting open textbooks on students\u2019 behalf because the cost savings are tremendous,\u201d said Dianna Fisher, who coordinated the grant application effort as director of OSU’s Open Educational Resources Unit<\/a>. \u201cResearch shows that textbook costs are a primary roadblock to degree completion. The more affordable we can make course materials, the more likely students are to graduate.\u201d<\/p>\n

The findings of a study released in February by the U.S. Public Interest Research Groups show that America\u2019s 5.2 million undergraduate students spend $3 billion of financial aid on textbooks every year. In a 2013 study by the same group, 65 percent of students who responded to the survey said they decided against buying a textbook because it was too expensive.<\/p>\n

Oregon State\u2019s attempts to stem the tide include open books that are being used or developed in a variety of subject areas including business, plant science, oceanography, hydrology and computer science.<\/p>\n

The grant for the biology textbook was awarded by the state\u2019s Higher Education Coordinating Commission as part of its Open Educational Resources (OER) Grant Program. Oregon State’s OER Unit, which works with faculty to create OER, will provide some matching funds.<\/p>\n

At OSU, the textbook will be used for the Biology 231-233 course sequence on human anatomy and physiology. Biga, Quick and the other faculty partners will work to illustrate course concepts through interactive animations so students can visualize molecular, cellular and organismal processes and improve their content knowledge and retention.<\/p>\n

The textbook to be adapted is \u201cAnatomy and Physiology\u201d by publisher OpenStax College. All of its content is licensed under Creative Commons attribution licenses.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, open source textbooks are about flexibility, access and interactivity,\u201d Biga said. \u201cThrough this grant program, we have the opportunity to invest time and resources into customizing a resource to fit the schedule and curricular needs of our courses and provide free digital access to every enrolled student.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open textbooks are just one facet of OSU\u2019s efforts to make learning opportunities freely accessible to learners. In May, more than 15,800 learners worldwide enrolled in a massive open online course, or MOOC, on permaculture<\/a>. It was the first MOOC to be developed in-house at OSU.<\/p>\n

Due to its far-reaching success, instructor Andrew Millison plans to convert all course materials into an open textbook. The MOOC will be offered again this fall.<\/p>\n

The modifications to the anatomy and physiology book will be completed by next summer in time for students to use it fall term 2017.<\/p>\n

The project is expected to involve faculty from the University of Oregon, Western Oregon University, Portland State University, and Linn-Benton, Lane and Portland community colleges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 2<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Oregon State University is increasing its efforts to make college more affordable, particularly through the use of free, open access textbooks and other essential course materials. The latest example came when the university was awarded a $30,000 grant by the State of Oregon to adapt a biology textbook that will be freely accessible to OSU students and learners worldwide. It is one of 16 open textbooks in use or in production at Oregon State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":186,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[673],"tags":[647],"class_list":["post-165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives","tag-oregon-state-open-educational-resources-unit"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/digital-learning.jpg?fit=3960%2C2970&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-2F","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1977,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/textbooks-expensive-affordable-learning\/","url_meta":{"origin":165,"position":0},"title":"Textbooks are way too expensive. Oregon State is saving students millions.","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"March 3, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"College textbooks are way too expensive, and Oregon State \u2014 with its faculty leading the way \u2014\u00a0is on a mission to make college more affordable and accessible for students. With the support of the OSU\u00a0Open Educational Resources Unit, an increasing number of OSU instructors are adopting, adapting and authoring no-cost\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Ecampus student Karen Baek sits at a laptop in an OSU building. 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Open Oregon Educational Resources, a statewide organization that promotes textbook affordability and the adoption of low-cost learning materials, recognized the five OSU faculty members with its OER\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A close-up image of a stack of orange textbooks on a desk. 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Holly Campbell teaches an ocean law course for Oregon State and uses an open textbook.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/marine-law-open-textbook.jpg?fit=744%2C455&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/marine-law-open-textbook.jpg?fit=744%2C455&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/marine-law-open-textbook.jpg?fit=744%2C455&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/marine-law-open-textbook.jpg?fit=744%2C455&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2287,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/how-the-affordable-learning-grant-supports-faculty\/","url_meta":{"origin":165,"position":3},"title":"Liberating course materials from the textbook industry","author":"Elena Moffet","date":"June 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Whether you\u2019re struggling to find a suitable textbook for your course or want to remove learning barriers for your students, there has never been a better time to explore the world of open educational resources.\u00a0Oregon State associate professor John Lambrinos shares why and relates his experience.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/4172-Campus-0775-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/4172-Campus-0775-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/4172-Campus-0775-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/4172-Campus-0775-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2189,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/student-survey-textbook-costs-oer\/","url_meta":{"origin":165,"position":4},"title":"Oregon State surveys students, collects local data to advocate for zero-cost textbooks","author":"Elena Moffet","date":"January 11, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The results from a 2018 Florida survey found that 64%-66% of students often don\u2019t buy the required textbook for a course. These numbers didn\u2019t surprise Stefanie Buck, director of Oregon State's Open Educational Resources Unit. But they didn\u2019t satisfy her either. 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Tuition costs are beyond the control of Oregon State University faculty members, but there is a proven way they can make student learning more affordable: by replacing expensive textbooks with free and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A person working on a laptop with a geographic map on the screen, alongside an open textbook titled \"Getting Organized.\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}