Incentivizing faculty for open educational resources (OER) adoption and open textbook authoring

Area of Science:

• Educational Technology
• Academic Publishing
• Open Education

Background:

• Rising textbook costs create financial barriers for students.
• Faculty are increasingly exploring affordable alternatives like open educational resources (OER).
• Incentive programs aim to encourage faculty adoption of low-cost course materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate faculty experiences with a textbook affordability incentive program.
• To assess faculty perceptions of open educational resources (OER) and authoring.
• To identify effective strategies for promoting affordable course materials.

Main Methods:

• A survey was administered to faculty participating in an incentive program.
• The survey collected data on program satisfaction, OER usage, and interest in OER creation.
• Rutgers University faculty experiences were the focus of the assessment.

Main Results:

• The incentive program was generally well-received by participating faculty.
• Adequate funding was perceived for adopting new, affordable course materials.
• Significant variation exists in faculty knowledge, OER use, and interest in authoring open textbooks.

Conclusions:

• A "one size fits all" strategy is insufficient for incentivizing affordable course material adoption.
• Faculty development and support are crucial for increasing OER awareness and utilization.
• Tailored approaches are necessary to foster the creation and adoption of open educational resources.