Open textbook

An open textbook is an openly-licensed textbook offered online by its author(s) or through a non-profit or commercial open-licensed publisher. The open license sets open textbooks apart from traditional textbooks by allowing users to read online, download, or sometimes print the book at no additional cost.^[1] Some open textbook models allow users the choice to use free online access or low-cost alternate formats such as print, audio, or e-book as a means to pay authors modest royalties and fund publication expenses.

Open textbooks are increasingly seen as a potential solution to some of the challenges with the traditional textbook publishing model.^[2] Open textbooks were identified in the New Media Consortium's 2010 Horizon Report as a component of the rapidly progressing adoption of open content in higher education.^[3] Open textbooks are a component of open educational resources.^[4][5]

Definition

For a textbook to be considered open, it must be licensed in a way that grants a baseline set of rights to users that are less restrictive than its standard copyright.^[6][7] A license or list of permissions must be clearly stated by the author.^[8]

Generally, the minimum baseline rights allow users at least the following:

• to use the textbook without compensating the author
• to copy the textbook, with appropriate credit to the author
• to distribute the textbook non-commercially
• to shift the textbook into another format (such as digital or print)

Many authors also grant rights such as:

• to add, remove or alter content in the textbook, often on the condition that derivative works must have the same license
• to copy and distribute the textbook without giving credit to the author
• to use the textbook commercially

An example from The Community College Open Textbook Collaborative, a leading force in the field, describes the requirements of an open text book as: free, or very nearly free; easy to use, get and pass around; editable so instructors can customize content; printable; and accessible so it works with adaptive technologies that serve the needs of disabled students, including those with learning disabilities.^[9]

The CK-12 Foundation uses similar standards but also must assure offerings are in harmony with state requirements. From their website, "FlexBooks conform to national and state textbook standards [for K-12 educational textbooks and materials]. They are free, easy to update and easy to customize. With FlexBooks, you can customize your textbooks to support your innovative work in the classroom. The CK-12 Foundation provides FlexBooks free to anyone who wants to use them."^[10]

Affordability

Since open textbooks can be used at no cost with technology mediation and printed at the cost of production, the use of open textbooks would reduce the cost of education significantly.^[11]

Open textbooks are also seen by advocates as potential competition in the textbooks market.^[12] Nicole Allen of Make Textbooks Affordable told USA Today:^[13]

"The open textbooks that are out there serve as proof that it is possible to have a high-quality open textbook that is being used in classrooms. They might just be the thing that will change the textbook industry for the better."

For more details on this topic, see textbook affordability.

Overall, open textbooks have been found by the Student PIRGs to offer 80% or more savings to higher education students over traditional textbook publishers.^[14][15][16] Research commissioned by the Florida State Legislature found similarly high savings and the state has since implemented a system to facilitate adoption of open textbooks.^[17]

In the Florida legislative report, the governmental panel found after substantial consultation with educators, students, and administrators that "there are compelling academic reasons to use open access textbooks such as: improved quality, flexibility and access to resources, interactive and active learning experiences, currency of textbook information, broader professional collaboration, and the use of teaching and learning technology to enhance educational experiences." (OATTF, p. i) Similar state-backed initiatives are underway in Washington,^[18] Ohio,^[19] California,^[20] and Texas.^[21]

K-12 Affordability

Research at Brigham Young University has produced a web-based cost comparison calculator for traditional and open K-12 textbooks. To use the calculator the inputs commercial textbook cost, planned replacement frequency, and number of annual textbook user count are required. A section is provided to input time requirements for adaptation to local needs, annual updating hours, labor rate, and an approximation of pages. The summary section applies an industry standard cost for print-on-demand of the adapted open textbook to provide a cost per student per year for both textbook options. A summed cost differential over the planned period of use is also calculated.^[22]

Milestones

In November 2010, Dr. Anthony Brandt was awarded an "Access to Artistic Excellence" grant from the National Endowment for the Arts for his innovative music appreciation course in Connexions.^[23] "Sound Reasoning"^[24] "takes a new approach [to teaching music appreciation]: It presents style-transcendent principles, illustrated by side-by-side examples from both traditional and contemporary music. The goal is to empower listeners to be able to listen attentively and think intelligently about any kind of music, no matter its style. Everything is listening based; no ability to read music is required." The module being completed with grant funds is entitled "Hearing Harmony." Dr. Brandt cites choosing the Connexions open content publishing platform because "it was an opportunity to present an innovative approach in an innovative format, with the musical examples interpolated directly into the text."

In December 2010, open textbook publisher Flat World Knowledge was recognized by the American Library Association's Business Reference and Services Section (ALA BRASS)^[25] by being named to the association's list of "Outstanding Business Reference Sources: The 2010 Selection of Recent Titles." The categories of business and economics open textbooks from Flat World Knowledge's catalog were selected for this award and referenced as "an innovative new vehicle for affordable (or free) online access to premier instructional resources in business and economics."^[26] Specific criteria used by the American Library Association BRASS when evaluating titles for selection were:

"A resource compiled specifically to supply information on a certain subject or group of subjects in a form that will facilitate its ease of use. The works are examined for authority and reputation of the publisher, author, or editor; accuracy; appropriate bibliography; organization, comprehensiveness, and value of the content; currency and unique addition to the field; ease of use for intended purpose; quality and accuracy of indexing; and quality and usefulness of graphics and illustrations. Each year more electronic reference titles are published, and additional criteria by which these resources are evaluated include search features, stability of content, graphic design quality, and accuracy of links. Works selected are intended to be suitable for medium to large academic and public libraries."

Connexions announced a series of two grants in early 2011 that will allow them to produce a total of 20 open textbooks. The first five titles will be produced over an 18 month time frame for Anatomy & Physiology, Sociology, Biology, Biology for non-majors, and Physics. The second phase will produce and additional 15 titles with as of yet indeterminate subjects. It is noted the most expensive part of producing an open textbook is image rights clearing. As images are cleared for this project, they will be available for resuse in even more titles.^[27]

The Text and Academic Author's Association awarded a 2011 Textbook Excellence Award ("Texty")^[28] to the first open textbook to ever win such recognition this year. A maximum of eight academic titles can earn this award each year. The title "Organizational Behavior"^[29] by Talya Bauer and Berrin Erdogan earned one of seven 2011 Textbook Excellence Awards granted. Bauer & Erdogan's "Organizational Behavior" open textbook is published by Flat World Knowledge.

Instruction

Open textbooks are flexible in ways that traditional textbooks are not,^[30] which gives instructors more freedom to use them in the way that best meets their instructional needs.^[31][32]

One common frustration with traditional textbooks is the frequency of new editions, which force the instructor to modify the curriculum to the new book. Any open textbook can be used indefinitely, so instructors need only change editions when they think it is necessary.

Many open textbooks are licensed to allow modification. This means that instructors can add, remove or alter the content to better fit a course's needs. Furthermore, the cost of textbooks can in some cases contribute to the quality of instruction when students are not able to purchase required materials. A Florida governmental panel found after substantial consultation with educators, students, and administrators that "there are compelling academic reasons to use open access textbooks such as: improved quality, flexibility and access to resources, interactive and active learning experiences, currency of textbook information, broader professional collaboration, and the use of teaching and learning technology to enhance educational experiences."^[33] (OATTF, p. i)

Authorizations

The most common open licenses are:

• Creative Commons Attribution[1]
• Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike[2]
• Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike[3]
• GNU Free Documentation License [4]

Waivers of copyright include:

• Creative Commons Public Domain Certification [5]

Authorship

Author compensation for open textbooks works differently than traditional textbook publishing. By definition, the author of an open textbook grants the public the right to use the textbook for free, so charging for access is no longer possible. However, numerous models for supporting authors are developing. For example, a startup open textbook publisher called Flat World Knowledge pays its authors royalties on the sale of print copies and study aids.^[34] Other proposed models include grants, institutional support and advertising.^[35]

Legislation

Legislation "to authorize grants for the creation, update, or adaption of open textbooks" and assure those developed would be made available under favorable licenses was introduced into the 111th United States Congress, both in the Senate^[36][37][38] and the House of Representatives.^[39] Findings specific to open textbooks detailed in the bill text are:

1. The growth of the Internet has enabled the creation and sharing of open content, including open educational resources.
2. The President has proposed a new, significant Federal investment in the creation of online open-source courses for community colleges that will make learning more accessible, adaptable, and affordable for students.
3. The President has challenged the United States with a goal of having the highest college graduation rate in the world by 2020.
4. More than 80 percent of the 23,000,000 jobs that will be created in the next 10 years will require postsecondary education, but only 36 percent of all 18- to 24-year-olds are currently enrolled in postsecondary education.
5. The high cost of college textbooks continues to be a barrier for many students in achieving higher education, and according to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, 200,000 qualified students fail to enroll in college each year due to cost.
6. The College Board reported that for the 2007-2008 academic year an average student spent an estimated $805 to $1,229 on college books and supplies.
7. Making high quality open textbooks freely available to the general public could significantly lower college textbook costs and increase accessibility to such education materials.
8. Open textbooks can improve learning and teaching by creating course materials that are more flexible, adaptable, and accessible through the use of technology.

This legislation did not reach the floor of either chamber for debate or vote prior to the conclusion of the 111th Congress.

Industry Opposition

The current higher education textbook industry has voiced stiff opposition to creation and adoption of open textbooks, actively seeking to thwart competition through aggressive lobbying and spreading disinformation.^[40] The industry is represented by a former Senior Vice President from Hill & Knowlton International Public Relations who is now acting as Executive Director for Higher Education for the Association of American Publishers.^[41] Hill & Knowlton represented many clients with reputation problems, including Big Tobacco beginning in 1953 when the firm launched a campaign to provide disinformation about smoking and cancer.^[42] Later, the firm arranged for false testimony to the U.S. Congress in the Nurse Nayirah scandal. Hill & Knowlton also represented Bank of Credit and Commerce International after the bank was indicted for drug money laundering in the United States. Similar to any campaign designed to spread misinformation or eliminate competition for a monopolistic market, industry advocates are well-funded and aggressive.

Projects

A number of projects seek to develop, support and promote open textbooks. Two very notable advocates and supporters of open textbook and related open education projects include the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation^[43] and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.^[44]

Higher Ed

• Make Textbooks Affordable [6]
• Open Textbook Catalog
• Faculty Statement on Open Textbooks
• The Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources
• The Open Textbook Project
• Flat World Knowledge
• Rice University Press
• Community College Open Textbook Collaborative
• Einstein University

K-12

• California Open Source Textbook Project
• Global Text
• Free Textbooks Poland
• CK-12 Foundation FlexBooks
• Free High School Science Texts - South Africa

General

• Connexions
• Wikibooks
• The Collaborative Books
• MERLOT - Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching

References

1. ^ Learn More About Open Textbooks, the Student PIRGs
2. ^ Open Education Conference 2009. Interactive Open Textbook Panel Discussion. (Video, 1:02:08) Murugan Pal, CK12 Foundation; Eric Frank, Flat World Knowledge; Cable Green, WA State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; Barbara Illowsky, De Anza College; Steve Acker, Ohio State University.
3. ^ 2010 Horizon Report, Chapter 7 Johnson, L., Levine, A., Smith, R., & Stone, S. (2010) for the New Media Consortium and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. Accessed Dec 23, 2010.
4. ^ Open Educational Resources. SPARC.
5. ^ Free to Learn Guide by Hal Plotkin. "An Open Educational Resources Policy Development Guidebook for Community College Governance Officials." (Funded by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation) Living document is open-licensed for iterative improvement. Creative Commons. 2010.
6. ^ Considerations for Creative Commons Licensing of Open Educational Resources: The Value of Copyleft by Charles Lowe, Bowling Green State University. Computers and Composition Online. September, 2010.
7. ^ Open Knowledge Definition (OKD) Open Knowledge Foundation.
8. ^ TEDxNYED: Open Education and the Future presentation by David A. Wiley. March 6, 2010.
9. ^ Welcome to College Open Textbooks! College Open Textbooks. (Funded by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation)
10. ^ CK-12 FlexBooks customizable, standards-aligned, free digital textbooks for K-12.
11. ^ Huffington Post, In The Public Interest : Open Textbooks and the Tech-Friendly Generation by Sarah Sather. Sep 30, 2010.
12. ^ Connexions. What are open textbooks? February 26, 2009. Accessed December 29, 2010.
13. ^ Online 'open textbooks' save students cash, USA Today, July 10, 2008
14. ^ New Report Finds Switching To Open Textbooks Saves Students Thousands by Nicole Allen. September 30, 2010
15. ^ A Call for Open Textbooks by Steve Kolowich. Inside Higher Ed. October 1, 2010.
16. ^ The Textbook Alternative That Could Save Students $700 Per Year by Dennis Carter. eCampus News. October 7, 2010
17. ^ Florida Open Access Textbook Task Force Final Report submitted in fulfillment of the requirements contained in 1004.091(2) F.S. February 27, 2010.
18. ^ Washington's 2-year Colleges Out to Beat High Cost of Textbooks by Katherine Long. The Seattle Times. November 7, 2010.
19. ^ Ohio’s Digital Textbook Project Webinar Summary by Sue Polanka. No Shelf Required: Ebooks in Libraries. Wright State University. October 25th, 2010.
20. ^ Open Textbooks In California U.S. Department of Education. 2010.
21. ^ Governor: Texas Should Move to Online Textbooks by Kelley Shannon (AP) in Business Week. April 7, 2010.
22. ^ "Can My K-12 School Save Money with Open Textbooks?" Department of Instructional Psychology and Technology and the Center for the Improvement of Teacher Education and Schooling at Brigham Young University. Research funded by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. 2011.
23. ^ Dr. Anthony Brandt wins National Endowment for the Arts Grant for Connexions Course on Connexions. November 23, 2010.
24. ^ Sound Reasoning by Dr. Anthony Brandt. Houston, TX: Connexions.
25. ^ Business Reference & Services Section (BRASS), American Library Association Reference and User Services Association. 2011.
26. ^ Outstanding Business Reference Sources: The 2010 Selection of Recent Titles. American Library Association Reference and User Services Quarterly. December 29, 2010.
27. ^ "Connexions Conference 2011: Part 3 by Barbara Illowsky. February 20, 2011.
28. ^ Description of Textbook Excellence Awards ("Textys") from the Text and Academic Author's Association. 2011.
29. ^ Organizational Behavior by Talya Bauer and Berrin Erdogan. Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge. 2010.
30. ^ OER: The Myth of Commercial Textbook Reliability by Geoff Cain. College Open Textbooks Community. March 19, 2011.
31. ^ ASU Statepress. Open Source Alternatives Bring Flexibility to Textbooks. February 25, 2010.
32. ^ 7 Things You Should Know About Open Textbook Publishing by Judy Baker and Jacky Hood. Educause Learning Initiative. March 8, 2011.
33. ^ Florida Open Access Textbook Task Force Final Report submitted in fulfillment of the requirements contained in 1004.091(2) F.S. February 27, 2010.
34. ^ Flat World Knowledge, Author's World
35. ^ Resources on Open Textbooks, the Student PIRGs
36. ^ S.1714.IS Open College Textbook Act of 2009 ("Introduced in Senate" = IS) by Richard Durbin (D-IL). Sep 24, 2009.
37. ^ Open Textbook bill by Greg DeKoenigsberg. Opensource.com. Dec 15, 2009.
38. ^ "Free Online Textbooks Becoming a Reality" by Tanika Cooper. Daily Nebraskan, University of Nebraska via UWire: The College Network. July 26, 2010.
39. ^ H.R.4575 - Open College Textbook Act of 2010 sponsored by David Wu (D-OR). Feb 2, 2010.
40. ^ "Publishers Criticize Federal Investment in Open Educational Resources" by Josh Keller. The Chronicle of Higher Education. May 24, 2011.
41. ^ Campus Overload Live with Jenna Johnson: College Textbooks January 13, 2011.
42. ^ Tobacco, part 2: “A Frank Statement” Lightbucket. December 11, 2008.
43. ^ Open Educational Resources The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
44. ^ Washington State Community and Technical Colleges Launch the Washington State Student Completion Initiative The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Oct 14, 2009.

External links

• Open Textbooks: Bringing Innovation to Business Programs Open textbooks are gaining momentum. But what exactly is an open textbook? How do new, disruptive business models harness technology and drive innovation at schools like Virginia State University and Boston College? And what does this mean for you—how can you leverage open textbooks to increase innovation and lower costs for your course, department and/or school? Watch this one-hour webcast to learn more. This webcast includes commentary by Virginia State University professor, Andrew Feldstein, and Boston College professor and Flat World Author, John Gallaugher. Originally recorded 2010.
• Shining a Light on Textbook Affordability: Emerging Solutions in Ohio The University System of Ohio has been a national leader in supporting innovations that help eliminate textbook costs as a financial barrier to college. Listen to Darlene McCoy, Associate Vice Chancellor, Division of Affordability and Efficiency, the University System of Ohio; Steve Acker, Research Director, eTextOhio Project; and Eric Frank, President and Co-Founder, Flat World Knowledge, for a one-hour webcast to discuss solutions and innovations for Ohio. Originally recorded 2010.
• How to Drive College Costs Down and Quality Up in TX and CA: Emerging Textbook Solutions California and Texas are poised to be national leaders in efforts to reduce barriers to higher education and combat escalating textbook prices. Join CA Senate Majority Leader Dean Florez; Dr. Charles Cook, Vice Chancellor, Houston Community College System; Eric Frank, President, Flat World Knowledge; and Dennis Passovoy of The University of Texas at Austin for this webcast on new textbook affordability initiatives and the rise of open textbooks. One-hour webcast. Originally recorded 2010.