International Journal of Open Educational Resources
no required textbook purchase for the course . Anecdotal evidence and results from a voluntary survey sent to students in these courses show that students are generally satisfied with the OER materials , prefer using OER over purchasing a textbook , and are likely to enroll in z-courses in future semesters .
As RVCC ’ s initiative was growing ,
Colvard , Watson and Park ( 2018 ) published a large-scale study conducted at the University of Georgia that demonstrated a significant impact on student achievement in courses using OER . Their results indicated that endof-course grades increased and DFW ( Drop , Fail , Withdraw ) rates decreased for all students across the courses they studied . More importantly , after disaggregating the data , they found that DFW rates “ decreased dramatically for student populations [ that they ] hypothesized would benefit the most from free textbooks ( e . g ., Pell eligible students , underserved populations , and part-time students ” (
p . 272 ). The authors rightfully did not generalize their findings across all institution-types and recommended that other institutions perform similar research on the achievement of traditionally underserved students in OER courses .
Colvard , Watson and Park ’ s ( 2018 ) research by applying a similar methodology in a community college setting . In addition , while the courses in the previous study all used a specific OER – OpenStax textbooks – this study will demonstrate whether the findings are applicable to students taking courses using a variety of OER .
The following research questions guided the study :
1 . Is there a significant difference in student achievement for students in OER sections compared to sections of the same course taught by the same instructor in a previous semester using a commercial textbook ?
2 . Is there a significant difference in student achievement for Pell recipients , non-white students , first-time students , or part-time students in OER sections compared to previous semester sections taught by the same instructor using a commercial textbook ?
Literature Review
Much of the OER research conducted at community colleges has focused on adoption of an open textbook in a specific course or discipline and on the perception of OER by students and / or faculty . Hilton , Gaudet , Clark , Robinson and Wiley ( 2013 ) found that student and faculty perceptions of OER used in five courses in the Scottsdale Community College math department were gener-
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