Working with David Ernst has been inspiring. Following his project as well as the potential of OER to transform education. GAPSA recently adopted the resolution below. Hopefully other student government organizations will do just that. MSA, GAPSA counterpart for UMN undergraduate students recently adopted this resolution.
RESOLUTION
Graduate and Professional Student Assembly – University of Minnesota
Date : September 12, 2012
Author: Alfonso Sintjago, Executive Vice President
Topic: Open Textbook Initiative
WHEREAS, the high cost of textbooks currently prevents up to 7 out of every 10 students from purchasing all of their required textbooks during their academic career; and
WHEREAS, textbooks may not be fully utilized within a classroom as they may not fully apply to the content of the course and cannot easily be modified due to the lack of flexibility in book licenses; and
WHEREAS, the cost of publishing a textbook can be diminished through their acquisition in a digital format while the students who wish will also be able to purchase a paper copy; and
WHEREAS, the use of e-books will reduce the weight carried by students in their backpacks and improve the transportability and mobility of their books; and
WHEREAS, sustainable business models may be attained through an open textbook publishing model where experts are paid to write textbooks at a cost comparable to that of a traditional publishing company, but the digital copy of the textbooks are published free of cost online and made accessible to the general public; and
WHEREAS, high quality and useful information should be made available to as many individuals as possible and the high costs of tuition and living nationwide may be detrimentally impacting the utilization of educational materials; and
WHEREAS, the University of Minnesota has invested in developing a platform for the review and evaluation of Open Textbooks by faculty members at open.umn.edu for the use of educators worldwide.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly will conduct an awareness campaign for faculty and students to encourage the further consideration of Open Textbooks for UMN graduate, professional and undergraduate courses; and
BE IT RESOLVED the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly will encourage the further evaluation of Open Textbooks by university faculty to most adequately consider their potential use in some instances as replacements for more expensive course materials.
