International Journal of Open Educational Resources Volume 2, Issue 1, Fall 2019/Winter 2020 | Page 34

International Journal of Open Educational Resources
complete comparison of program costs
and savings, qualitative analysis of final
reports submitted by participating faculty,
and possibly comparative analysis
of student performance and grades.
The librarians have collected
some reflections from faculty and lessons
learned thus far, including the importance
of timing the course to maximize
faculty engagement. They also compiled
an estimated cost-savings analysis based
on enrollment numbers in August 2019.
For the initial grant cycle, the estimated
amount spent on grants was $8,500.00
(including stipends for 10 faculty participants
and four librarians). In comparison,
an early estimate of previous textbook
costs for five of the courses being
taught with OER in Fall 2019 showed almost
$14,000 saved in student textbook
costs (remaining grant courses have yet
to be taught or estimated material costs
were unavailable) (see Table 1). This
indicates the total financial impact for
students will far outweigh the cost of
awarding grants.
Table 1. Estimated Textbook Savings For Students - Fall 2019
Department and Course
Estimated Textbook Savings for Students - Fall 2019
Mathematics: Vector Calculus with
Chemical Applications
Management & Marketing:
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Cost of
Comparable
Textbook
Fall 2019
Enrollment
(as of 7/29/19)
Estimated
Savings per
Course
$195.00 8 $1,560.00
$86.25 30 $2,587.50
Management & Marketing: $176.00 23 $4,048.00
Hospitality and Tourism Management:
Hospitality and Tourism Technology
Women’s and Gender Studies: Intro to
Women’s and Gender Studies
$115.00 29 $3,335.00
$67.45 35 $2,360.75
Total
Estimated
Savings:
$13,891.25
Interpretations and
Recommendations
One obvious drawback to an
LMS course is its lack of openness.
All parts of the course are
CC licensed, but in practice, it is difficult
to share materials from within an
LMS. Participating librarians felt the
benefits of modeling OER using a tool
that is ready-made and familiar to most
faculty, along with the ability of the
26