_{From left: Tech senior lecturer Sharon Henry and senior instructor Elizabeth Robinson hold their 2023 鈥淥ER Pioneer Award鈥� for their leadership in developing zero-cost course materials.}

A recent program at 麻豆果冻传媒 has saved students $1.4 million in textbook costs in less than three years, and a pioneering group of English and business instructors have now been recognized for their efforts as part of the initiative.

The Open Educational Resources program began at Tech in the 2021-22 academic year and incentivizes university instructors to develop their classes with zero-cost course materials. It all started when Mike Gotcher, dean of the College of Emerging and Integrative Studies, teamed up with Sharon Holderman, library coordinator of public services, and Amy Miller, assistant director of study abroad, to apply for and receive a $30,000 Tennessee Board of Regents grant.

鈥淲e were able to use that $30,000 to pass along an immediate savings of more than $160,000 in textbook costs to students that semester,鈥� Gotcher said.

Eight instructors representing nearly every college within the university each received a $2,700 stipend in that inaugural semester to convert textbook-based classes to courses that relied on zero-cost multi-media resources 鈥� from podcasts and videos to handouts 鈥� for open educational use.

The grant tracked those instructors, who taught a collective 18 course sections with a total enrollment of 1,037 students. The cost of the traditional textbook for each of those classes ranged from $89 to $250.

鈥淚 was initially inspired to pursue the grant funding through my own experience as a father who had daughters in college,鈥� Gotcher said. 鈥淭he cost of textbooks exceeded $1,000 every semester. Over eight semesters, that was a total cost of more than $8,000 鈥� which is a big expense for any family.鈥�

A smaller $20,000 grant followed and allowed English and business instructors to each receive a stipend to convert some of their classes to ones using open educational resources.

Some of those visionary instructors were recognized in fall 2023 with the university's "OER Pioneer Awards." They include Clay Wesley, an adjunct instructor from the College of Business, and Sharon Henry and Elizabeth Robinson, senior lecturer and senior instructor, respectively, both from the College of Arts and Sciences. 

Wesley helped modify a junior-level business communication course, while Henry modified a sophomore-level world literature course and Robinson modified a sophomore American literature course. All offered praise for the program.

Wesley said he also appreciated being able to save the students money. 鈥淲ith a traditional text, there is pressure to use what we had the students spend money on. At Tennessee Tech, we have so many students who work their way through college. As faculty, it鈥檚 our call to be good stewards of the students鈥� hard-earned money. They notice!鈥� he said.

For Henry, the course modifications made her and her students happier. 鈥淗appier students can equal higher retention rates,鈥� she said. 鈥淥f course, they鈥檙e excited that they don鈥檛 have to buy a textbook 鈥� but they are also glad to have the different media for their 鈥榬eading鈥� assignments.鈥�

Curating and collecting the information for the business communication course 鈥� which meant more work at the front end 鈥� was the greatest challenge, Wesley said, but it enabled them to offer the most up to date information possible.

Robinson noted that when the instructor provides course material, the students are more accountable. 鈥淭hey have no excuse not to do [the readings] when I provide them free of charge,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e say at Tech that we are student-focused; this is one small way we can prove it.鈥�

Gotcher added that having to wait on paychecks to buy textbooks means students continually play catch-up from the beginning of the semester, which affects their overall performance 鈥� and many instructors already supplement their textbook lectures with ancillary material.

Provost Lori Mann Bruce recognized that the program also incentivized faculty to offer up-to-date information in their fields of expertise. The Provost鈥檚 office began funding a university-level program in June 2022.

In the university-funded program, faculty who submit selected proposals receive a $1,500 stipend and must attend a training workshop to learn how to find open educational resources and implement them in at least one course so that students are required to pay nothing for that course鈥檚 materials.

Selected faculty also must distribute a student survey and provide feedback about the experience at the end of teaching the course in which open educational resources were implemented.

Gotcher said the OER program is open to all faculty, from adjunct instructors to tenured professors, and faculty from all colleges and academic departments are invited to submit proposals. The recent OER Pioneer Awards reflect the program鈥檚 comprehensive reach.

鈥淚t truly is an example of the university embracing an interdisciplinary approach,鈥� he said.

For more information about open educational resources at Tech, go to: /library/textbooks/index.php. 

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