Keywords

open textbooks, open educational resources, oer, affordable course materials, business communication, library partnerships

Abstract

The high cost of textbooks contributes to the financial burden of today’s college students. Open textbooks are one solution, but in the absence of an administrative directive or institutional policy, faculty have little incentive to adopt open textbooks beyond an appreciation of their students’ financial distress. Working from the grassroots and partnering with the library, the faculty of Brigham Young University’s Management Communication program has created their own open textbook. Free, online, and tailor-made, this textbook can evolve in parallel with curriculum and models the writing and design principles taught in the course. The rationale and implementation of this project are discussed, as well as lessons learned about the realities of funding, creating, and assessing an open textbook.

Original Publication Citation

Spackman, Andy. “Free, Online, and Tailor-Made: Creating an Open Textbook As a Model Document.” In Proceedings of the 82nd Annual International Conference. Ed. Leigh Ann Whittle. Association for Business Communication, 2017.