Iowa OER
Good morning!
We are pleased to share today a new resource for colleges and universities that are pursuing marking low- or no-cost courses in their course catalog or schedule of classes:
A working group from the Iowa Open Education Action Team has been developing a set of two definitions for course marking programs, based on the best practices seen at other institutions across the United States. This includes two terms, “zero-textbook-cost” and “low-cost” alongside their definitions and included types of materials. You can find these definitions in the Iowa OER Toolkit under the folder for Higher Ed Initiatives. Please note that, while these definitions were developed to be easy to implement elsewhere, individual institutions are welcome to adapt the definitions to fit the needs and expectations of your campus community.
If you’re interested in learning more about course marking practices and processes, we recommend Marking Open and Affordable Courses: Best Practices and Case Studies.
The Action Team is also working on a few more resources and support for colleges across the state, based on your responses to our annual survey, through learning modules like those on our website or individualized presentations and support for institutions provided on an as needed basis.
One point of concern that was shared by a few peers across the state was the rise of inclusive access programs, which bill students automatically for textbooks and other course materials which are required in their courses. For those interested in learning more about how these programs work and what questions you should ask about their potential integration on your campus, see this excellent guide from the University of Northern Iowa: Automatic Billing Models: Inclusive/Equitable Access
Thank you for reading! If you have questions about what we’re working on and what Iowa OER can do for you, feel free to reach out via this mailing list or through the Contact form on our website.
Sincerely,
Iowa Open Education Action Team@IowaOER
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