More than $5M in UH student savings from online textbooks

CORRECTED VIDEO LINK

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Kelli Abe Trifonovitch, (808) 228-8108
Chief Communications Officer, UH Office of Communications
Posted: Dec 15, 2019

Leeward CC Assistant Professor Kelsie Aguilera teaching Anthropology 151.
Leeward CC Assistant Professor Kelsie Aguilera teaching Anthropology 151.
Leeward CC's Kelsie Aguilera collaborated with anthropologists worldwide on an online textbook.
Leeward CC's Kelsie Aguilera collaborated with anthropologists worldwide on an online textbook.
40 percent of Leeward CC's classes are using free online textbooks and course materials.
40 percent of Leeward CC's classes are using free online textbooks and course materials.
Leeward CC hits milestone with 40 percent TXT0 courses
Leeward CC hits milestone with 40 percent TXT0 courses

CORRECTED Link to video and sound (details below): https://bit.ly/2RXcL0X

WHO: University of Hawai‘i Community College students statewide have saved almost $5.6 million in textbook costs since 2015.  

HOW: The UH Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative develops and provides no-cost or low-cost online learning materials.

WHY:  OER has the potential to lower the cost of education, give faculty more control over their instructional materials and enable new ways of learning.

According to U.S. PIRG: “Since 2006, the cost of a college textbook increased by 73% - over four times the rate of inflation. Today, individual textbooks often cost over $200, sometimes as high as $400.”

WHAT:  UH has started to use the “TXT0” course designation, indicating there are no costs for course materials. TXT0 classes may use OERs only, or a combination of OERs, web resources, library resources and faculty-authored materials that replace commercially produced textbooks, online platforms and other fee-based course materials. 

OTHER FACTS:

VIDEO:

BROLL: (1 minute, 46 seconds)

0:00-0:34, 6 clips: Leeward CC Anthropology 151 class

0:34-0:59, 5 clips: students viewing the Anthropology 151 textbook on their computers

0:59-1:12, 2 clips: screen view of the Anthropology 151 online textbook

1:12-1:22, 2 clips: TXT0 listing of online classes

1:22-1:40, 4 clips: students and teacher in the classroom

1:40-1:46: traditional textbooks

SOUND:

Jacob Flores, Leeward CC student (9 seconds)

“So the fact that I don’t have to pay for an actual textbook, which is like another $100 per class I have to take, is a whole world of difference.”

Ghiana Salud, Leeward CC student (6 seconds)

“I definitely like it.  One, it saves a lot of money, but it offers a different learning ability than just reading.”

Leanne Riseley, Leeward CC educational media coordinator (16 seconds)

“The main thing that we see and we hear is that we are saving students money. So students are super grateful that they are able to use the money that they would have used for textbooks on necessities like rent and food.”

Risely (22 seconds)

“I think the end goal is that UH becomes a major player in this OER movement. Where we are contributing to education in a meaningful way so that everybody who are experts in their field are actively participating in the creation of materials in their field.”