April 29, 2008
Community College Open-Textbook Project Gets Under Way
The Community College Open Textbook Project begins this week with a member meeting in California.
At the meeting, representatives of institutions around the country will start reviewing open-textbook models for “quality, usability, accessibility, and sustainability,” according to a news release. They will initially review four providers of free online educational resources: Connexions, run by Rice University; Flat World Knowledge, a commercial digital-textbook publisher that will begin offering free textbooks online next year; the University of California’s UC College Prep Online, which offers Advanced Placement and other courses online; and the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources, which was founded by the Foothill-De Anza Community College District and the League for Innovation in the Community College.
The open-textbook project was paid for by a $530,000 grant to the Foothill-De Anza Community College District from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. —Catherine Rampell
Posted on Tuesday April 29, 2008 | Permalink |Comments
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Open textbook is as big a threat to the profits of pulishing industry as on-line education is to the salaries faculties. In is truly revolutionary.
My question is – are students going to be short-changed by the big change? After trying on-line classes wherein there is no printed text, I find eye-strain and body-fatigue is a reality. And I can’t write notes in the margin.
— Muap Conners Apr 30, 08:18 AM #
The majority of the students only use a portion of the textbooks. I think this is thinking outside the box and making education more affordable for the less privledged. It fits with the community college mission.
— Sad but True Apr 30, 10:33 AM #
As to eye-strain and body fatigue, Open Texbooks need to be coupled with next generaton eReaders like the Amazon Kindle until other devices catch up. Text can be highlighted and notes put in the margins. Colleges and Universities could also provide eReserves, student handbooks and a host of other material wirelessly.
— -larry Apr 30, 02:09 PM #
The Washington Community and Technical Colleges have partnered with the “Community College Consortium for OER” to explore how we can develop a culture of sharing and receiving re: course content, textbooks, and other digital knowledge. More thoughts at: http://blog.oer.sbctc.edu
— Cable Green May 3, 11:31 PM #
Digital textbooks are critical for those with many disabilities. Publishing companies have not met their ADA obligations in this area in the past, so these sorts of efforts are needed in order to make higher education truly accessible for people with disabilities.
— Nancy Ferguson May 6, 04:23 PM #