International Journal of Open Educational Resources Volume 2, Issue 1, Fall 2019/Winter 2020 | Page 155

A Community-Based Collaborative of OER programs
were given a survey for each class they
were enrolled in and asked to complete
each survey. The desire for course-level,
or at least program-level, data stemmed
from a belief that there is too much
variation across programs to have
fruitful discussions with faculty about
course material affordability using national-,
state-, or even institution-level
data. In addition, the short survey was
intentionally framed in terms of the “use
of required course materials” instead of
course material affordability or OERs.
In part this was because most students
don’t know what OERs are, and in part it
was because it is easier to engage faculty
in a conversation about pedagogy than
about course material affordability.
From an undergraduate headcount
of 5,036, and an average enrollment
rate of three courses per term, the
survey generated almost 2000 responses—a
response rate of about 33%. Using
skip logic, the survey had the following
questions:
1. Did you use the materials required
for course X? If “yes” then ...
2. What required materials did you
acquire for course X?
3. How did you acquire the materials
required for course X?
OR
1. Did you use the materials required
for course X? If “no” then ...
2. Why didn’t you use the materials
required for course X?
While there were not enough responses
to generate valid course-level data, there
were enough responses to generate useful
program-level data. The results were
shared in one-on-one meetings between
program chairs and the University
Librarian. Framing the questions in
terms of course material use facilitated
broader discussion of the relationship
among required course materials, the
use or non-use of course materials by
students, and pedagogy. Faculty want
their students to use the materials they
assign and are therefore very interested
in why students might not use them.
What do the reasons that students report
for not purchasing textbooks imply
for course design and pedagogy? Do
students see a course as structured so
much around required course materials
that buying them is unnecessary? Can
faculty convey to students that course
materials may be vital for the success of
some students but largely supplemental
for others? Can courses be redesigned
around course materials that are relevant
to and affordable for all students?
Answers to these questions vary greatly
across programs, courses, instructors,
and students, and the survey greatly
contributed to faculty seeking answers.
Though not directly connected to Open
Oregon Educational Resources, SOU
would not have conducted the survey
if not for the groundwork laid by the
Open Oregon Educational Resources
OER grants.
Western Oregon University
Before the 2018-19 school year,
OER activities on the Western
Oregon University (WOU) cam-
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