We found 47 results that contain "textbook affordability"

Topic Area: Pandemic Pivot
Presented by: Masani Shahnaz, Cassie Dresser-Briggs
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent shift to remote teaching posed a unique challenge to courses that included a hands-on or experiential component. Left with a choice, forgo the hands-on components or get creative, we chose to get creative and develop a DIY lab stream feasible and safe for students to experience from home. In addition to sharing the lessons learned during the development and implementation of our remote lab stream (“GoGreen”) and at-home laboratory kits (“SpartanDIYBio”), our roundtable discussion will be an opportunity to collaborate and (1) curate a list of innovative laboratory streams, (2) identify the strengths and address the shortcomings of each stream, and (3) discuss approaches to evaluate the impact of these novel lab streams on student learning. GoGreen: The “GoGreen” remote lab stream was designed for the introductory cell and molecular biology course at Lyman Briggs College. Inspired by a paper in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education we created “SpartanDIYBio” kits which allowed students to perform DNA extraction, PCR, and gel electrophoresis from home. Instead of extracting DNA with a series of laboratory-grade reagents, students used household ingredients, such as salt, meat tenderizer, and rubbing alcohol. Instead of using a multi-thousand dollar thermocycler for PCR, they used affordable sous-vide machines to regulate water bath temperatures. Furthermore, student research teams used these supplies to experimentally test a unique research question pertaining to backyard or commercial vegetable production (e.g. one group aimed to detect the presence of bacteria on vegetables packaged in plastic, glass, cardboard, and an eco-friendly alternative - cornhusks).

Topic Area: Student Success
Presented by: Regina Gong, Andrea Bierema, Casey Henley, Rajiv Ranjan, Sadam Issa
Abstract:
Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research resources that are copyright-free (public domain) or have been released under an open license that permits others to reuse, revise, remix, retain, and redistribute them. The MSU Libraries’ OER Program was created to address issues of affordability, access, and equity in providing course learning materials for students. Since its launch in the Fall 2019 semester, the OER Program has grown considerably, with 27 courses in 272 sections and 70 instructors utilizing these materials in the Spring 2021 semester. To help support faculty, the OER Award Program was launched as an incentive program for instructors that encourages and supports the use of openly-licensed materials as a pathway to increase student success. You will hear from the first cohort of OER Program awardees and their experience teaching with OER, how it changed their pedagogy, and how it facilitated better student engagement with the course material as they learn remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The MSU Libraries’ Open Educational Resources (OER) Award Program call for applications for academic year 2021-2022 has been extended to January 31, 2022.
Now on its 3rd year, the OER Award Program provides financial incentives and support for instructors interested in adopting, adapting, or creating OER as an alternative to traditional textbooks to advance our goals of affordability, access, equity, and student success.
You can download the Call for Proposals overview to learn more about the application categories, eligibility, participation requirements, timelines, and criteria for evaluation. The OER Advisory Committee will meet to review applications and successful awardees will be notified on February 14, 2022.
Application forms are available in the OER LibGuide. Please submit your proposals via email to Regina Gong, OER & Student Success Librarian at gongregi@msu.edu. Deadline for submission of proposals is 5:00 pm, January 31, 2022.
If you have questions about the OER Award program and the application categories, Regina offers a one-on-one project consultation. Please send an email to gongregi@msu.edu to schedule a session.
 

Job Title: Accessibility CoordinatorDepartment: MSU Libraries Team: Accessibility Bio: Heidi Schroeder is the Accessibility Coordinator at the MSU Libraries. In this role, she oversees and advocates for accessibility initiatives across the Libraries and works with various campus accessibility groups and stakeholders. Heidi spearheaded the creation of the Big Ten Academic Alliance Library E-Resource Accessibility Group. She has been the primary investigator for studies on electronic textbooks and affordable textbooks and has presented and published on those topics as well as accessibility/library accessibility, library collections and e-resources, and library instruction. Heidi began her career at the MSU Libraries in 2007 as a health sciences librarian and was the Libraries’ Science Collections Coordinator from 2014-18. She also served as Co-Coordinator of MSU’s Electronic Textbook Pilot Program in 2012-13. Heidi was a 2019-2020 Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program Fellow.

Topic Area: Student Success
Presented by: Regina Gong, Jason Almerigi
Abstract:
The MSU Libraries' OER Program is a student success initiative that was launched in the Fall 2019 semester. The OER program goals are affordability, access, agency, innovation, and engagement in innovative pedagogical models that facilitate learning. This presentation will provide an overview of the OER program, including the courses using an OER as course learning materials. It will also present survey results and course success metrics disaggregated by relevant demographic background factors from over 8,000 students enrolled in Fall 2020 courses that adopted OER learning materials. We will discuss how the cost of textbooks has impacted our students' lives and how OER has provided them the means to address the affordability and accessibility of learning materials, especially during the pandemic.

There are a variety of considerations when it comes to course content. Now, if you’re close to the start of the semester, it is likely that you have already chosen (and submitted to the Registrar Office) your textbook and/or required materials for student purchase. Please consider the following when selecting your supplemental course content (additional materials, case studies, scenarios, etc.)... and for your primary texts next term. 
Diversifying voice - who is represented?
“Does your syllabus demonstrate to students that everyone has a place in your field of study? … Pedagogically, we might find it challenging to create a sense of belonging in a course when some students cannot imagine themselves as part of the community of scholarship and practice” (Marcella Addy et al., 2021, p. 52). Wow, that statement is really powerful, especially considering some recent scholarship. Schucan Bird and Pitman (2020) found, after an analysis of reading lists, that the reading lists did not represent the diverse local student body but came closer to representing the demographic profile of academic staff (dominated by white, male, and Eurocentric authors). Despite challenges across disciplines and settings, educators should make every effort to center students in their course design and make course materials a descriptive representation of the student body itself (Schucan Bird & Pitman, 2020). This shift can include showcasing the contributions of marginalized groups (Blackburn, 2017) with greater representation of perspectives, histories and approaches of scholars (Le Grange, 2016), along with adopting efforts to decolonialize teaching and learning (Phillips & Archer-Lean 2018). 
Looking for ways to get started? Colleagues at Tufts University Libraries (according to this Inside Higher Ed article) have noted that diversifying your course materials to include content about and by marginalized scholars (groups whose characteristics result in the systematic denial of equal rights and opportunities within a community or society including but not limited to race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation)  helps to “foster an environment that includes knowledge that has been systematically excluded from academia.” You might…

Considering diverse authorship of readings (ethnicity, gender, geographic location)
Inviting guest speakers who bring different perspectives
Using diverse audio and visual materials, such as films, interviews and TED talks
Incorporating readings that challenge standard approaches
Using primary research with authorship that reflects local collaborators
Offering multiple perspectives in assigned readings and letting students choose what to read or discuss at times.

Faculty members “can identify resources that highlight historically underrepresented researchers and activists in our fields,” she suggests. “We can include statements and topics in syllabi to decode our courses, structures and expectations. We can work to decolonize the power dynamics of our classrooms so what students already know and experience is also seen as a valuable contribution to the learning environment,” said Bridget Trogden (presently serving as Dean of Undergraduate Education at American University). Improving diversity and inclusion of voices in educational materials isn’t necessarily difficult, educators just need to be intentional. Fuentes et al. (2021) go beyond centering authors of mariginalized backgrounds, and recommend educators transparently acknowledge their intentional material selections. The example they provide in their article Rethinking the Course Syllabus: Considerations for Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion is, "The following text/articles for the course have been chosen in efforts to highlight the important work of historically underrepresented and marginalized scholars in the field" (Fuentes et al., 2021, p.75).
“The proof is in the data: children are more likely to have a more productive learning experience and thrive in the classroom, throughout the school and in their communities when they see themselves represented in curriculum and library materials,” said Lessa Kanani'opua Pelayo-Lozada, President of the American Library Association. If data supports diversifying reading may boost a student’s development and well-being, WHILE ALSO increasing a sense of belonging and breaking down barriers to collegiate success… what reasons do we have not to reimagine our course materials?
Accessibility of digital content
The experts at MSU IT who manage the Digital Accessibility page recommend that educators ask the following questions before adopting digital content (adapted with permission from UC-Boulder’s Digital Accessibility Program):

Ask for Publisher Information: Contact the publisher to ask them for details about the accessibility of your particular textbook and/or digital content. This should include all known accessibility issues, any workarounds that the student can use, a named point of contact, and any guidance on how to ensure any content you create within the platform is accessible.
Review your Assessments: If you use digital online quizzes, ask the publisher for a list of quiz question types that are accessible. Review your own quiz content to ensure that none of your questions rely on drag-and-drop actions, images without alt text, or other inaccessible mechanisms.
Consult with Digital Accessibility Specialists: Contact your local Accessibility Policy Liaison for support and reach out to the MSU IT Digital Experience (DigitalX) team for help evaluating your digital content at webaccess@msu.edu or call the IT Help Desk at 517-432-6200.
Notify your Students: If the digital content (including texts, assignments, tests, or online homework systems) used in your course are not fully accessible, please notify your students in your syllabus with the following statement: “This course requires the use of [name of software or service], which is currently not accessible. Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for participation in all programs, services and activities. Accommodations for persons with disabilities, with documentation from the MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities, may be requested by contacting [insert Professor name or "me"] at the start of the term and/or two weeks prior to the accommodation date (test, project, etc). Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible. For questions, contact the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities at 517.884.7273”

For more information on Digital Accessibility check out the “Course Accessibility: Commitments, Support, and Resources” article, visit the Accessibility Evaluation Questions for Digital Content page, or contact your college/department’s Web Accessibility Policy Liaison. 
Cost as a barrier to access
Buying school materials can cost a lot, creating a barrier for students and impacting their collegiate success. Taking measures to curtail expenses on mandatory learning resources is not only a stride towards rendering college more cost-effective and attainable but also promotes equity. Embedding no-cost course materials into a syllabus provides the avenue to diminish financial burdens on students, foster more inclusive access to education, and enables the repurposing, blending, and creation of course content specifically tailored to each class. According to MSU Libraries Open Educational Resources (OER) Program, OER are “teaching, learning, and research resources that are copyright-free (public domain) or have been released under an open license that permits others to reuse, revise, remix, retain, and redistribute them. Examples of OER include open textbooks, videos, images, course modules, lectures, homework assignments, quizzes, lab and classroom activities, games, simulations, and other resources contained in digital media collections from around the world.” 
Diversifying Course Materials: A How-To Guide on Inside Higher Ed (previously linked) shared four additional considerations for instructors when considering their course materials.

Accessibility, affordability and adaptation
Relatability and reflection
Clarity and intentionality
Alternative perspectives

Read more about each of these four considerations at the link above and check out the resources below for more in depth from authors cited throughout this article. 
Resources

Marcella Addy, Dube, Mitchell & SoRelle (2021) What Inclusive Instructors Do. Stylus Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003448655
Schucan Bird, K. & Pitman, L. (2020) How diverse is your reading list? Exploring issues of representation and decolonisation in the UK. Higher Education, 79, 903–920. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00446-9. 
Le Grange, L. (2016). Decolonising the university curriculum. South African Journal of Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.20853/30-2-709.
Blackburn, H. (2017). The status of women in STEM in higher education: a review of the literature 2007–2017. Science & Technology Libraries. https://doi.org/10.1080/0194262X.2017.1371658.
Phillips, S. R., & Archer-Lean, C. (2018). Decolonising the reading of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writing: reflection as transformative practice. Higher Education Research & Development, 38(1), 24–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2018.1539956.
Fuentes, M. A., Zelaya, D. G., & Madsen, J. W. (2021). Rethinking the Course Syllabus: Considerations for Promoting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Teaching of Psychology, 48(1), 69-79. https://doi.org/10.1177/0098628320959979


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The MSU Libraries’ Open Educational Resources (OER) Award Program call for applications for the academic year 2022-2023 is now open.
Now in its 4th year, the OER Award Program provides financial incentives and support to instructors interested in adopting, adapting, or creating OER as an alternative to traditional learning materials to advance our goals of affordability, access, equity, and student success. 
You can download the Call for Proposals overview to learn more about the application categories, eligibility, participation requirements, timelines, and criteria for evaluation. 
Application forms are available in the OER LibGuide. The deadline for submission is January 16, 2023. The OER Advisory Committee will meet to review applications, and we will notify successful awardees on February 10, 2023.
Regina Gong, OER & Student Success Librarian, offers a one-on-one project consultation if you have questions about the OER Award program and the application categories. You can send an email to Regina at gongregi@msu.edu to schedule a project consultation. 

Instructors linked to a course will have access to:

Academic dishonesty report
Academic progress reports
Grade submission and changes
Grade upload feature
Class list information including “email the class” and “exam cover sheet” functionality
Textbook and course material entry

Even if you are not assigning any materials, please go into the system and indicate that there are no assigned materials.
To submit textbook information, go to the Instructor Systems menu  on the Office of the Registrar website, and select ‘Textbook and Material Entry/Update.’  If you do not see your class(es) listed, please contact the department offering the course.



Other Resources are also available at the Registrar's Office: 

Enrollment reports and other data
Academic Programs Catalog
Academic calendars and final exam schedules
University Curriculum and Catalog

Photo by Erol Ahmed on Unsplash