Reducing the cost of textbooks is a noble goal, even though it may seem impossible. Within the Department of English and Texas A&M University Libraries, there were a few faculty, graduate students, and librarians who refused to see it that way. They rallied together to accomplish a task: reduce the cost of textbooks for students. With their help, the days of heavy and expensive books dragging students down by their backpacks and by their bank accounts are headed towards a bitter end. The solution is known as an OER, or Open Educational Resource, and it’s changing how students will buy and use textbooks for the foreseeable future. The Texas A&M University Libraries defines an OER as a “teaching, learning, or research resource that is in the public domain.” Free of charge and easily accessible, an OER can include open access textbooks, but also case studies, teaching materials, media, assessments, and software. In other words, it’s more than just a textbook. An OER can take ...
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