{"id":45,"date":"2020-05-13T21:09:06","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T21:09:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/summer-2020-volume-1-issue-39\/open-books-three-years-in-options-and-achievements-continue-to-grow\/"},"modified":"2020-06-23T02:00:09","modified_gmt":"2020-06-23T02:00:09","slug":"open-books-three-years-in-options-and-achievements-continue-to-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanjac.mycareerfocus.org\/summer-2020-volume-1-issue-39\/open-books-three-years-in-options-and-achievements-continue-to-grow\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Books: Three years in, options and achievements continue to grow"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Courtney Morris<\/span><\/p>\n

San Jacinto College has coined its own name for accessible, affordable higher education: Open Books.<\/span><\/p>\n

This spring, when the College moved to online\/hybrid instruction to promote social distancing, it already had Open Books in its toolkit. As health and financial concerns loomed, the initiative answered the call for accessible course materials that would also be easy on wallets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Aside from helping many students during the College\u2019s altered operations, Open Books has covered much ground since its early days.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"OpenLet\u2019s talk achievements<\/span><\/h4>\n

Launched in 2017, the College\u2019s Open Books initiative combats rising print textbook costs. It helps students overcome higher education cost barriers through budget-friendly digital alternatives to textbooks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Early on, the College predicted students would save $3.5 million from 2017-2020 through Open Books courses. But according to recent data, students have saved triple that: $10.6 million.<\/span><\/p>\n

Open Books enrollment has also skyrocketed. In spring 2017, 768 students enrolled in these courses. By fall 2019, duplicated enrollment reached almost 36,000 in Open Books, Plus, and Low $ courses.<\/span><\/p>\n

Niki Whiteside, assistant vice chancellor of instructional innovation and support, credits growing student awareness and faculty adoption. The College has sent faculty to open educational resources (OER) conferences, brought in speakers, and provided other resources to boost adoption.<\/span><\/p>\n

From spring 2017 to spring 2020, the College has offered more than 5,350 Open Books, Plus, and Low $ course sections taught by nearly 600 faculty members.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe faculty are the ones choosing to do this. We\u2019re just paving the way,\u201d said Whiteside, whose instructional designers facilitate Open Books adoption. \u201cIt\u2019s about equity for students\u2014every student having the opportunity (to attend college).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOpportunity\u201d extended to the College\u2019s COVID-19 response. As Whiteside\u2019s team helped faculty move instruction online, Open Books eased the transition for many students.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe faced the obvious challenges of flipping the classroom format and ensuring students had home internet access,\u201d Whiteside said. \u201cBut for courses starting midsemester, faculty who chose to use Open Books ensured students didn\u2019t have to purchase more materials or wait for textbooks to arrive by mail.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Explain the concept<\/span><\/h4>\n

Open Books instructor and South Campus department chair of English, modern languages, and speech Kimberly Miller-Davis defines OER as \u201cinstructor-created, shared resources that are available, accessible, and adaptable for instructors and students.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Higher education institutions have experimented with OER since early internet days. Open Books, which extends beyond OER, started with an Achieve the Dream grant. Later, San Jacinto College partnered with Rice University\u2019s OpenStax program.<\/span><\/p>\n

Students may choose from three Open Books course types:<\/span><\/p>\n