Faculty Workshop to Evaluate the Quality of Free Textbooks and OER

What’s the Catch? Evaluating the Quality of Free Textbooks and Open Educational Resources
March 12 | 10 a.m. to noon
Please note location change to Zoom web conferencing: https://ncsu.zoom.us/j/618674436
Register: go.ncsu.edu/textbook

How reliable or trustworthy can educational materials be when they’re free of charge? There must be a catch.

Spoiler alert — there’s not!

Faculty are invited to join us to explore the myths surrounding Open Educational Resources (OER) and learn how to eliminate the cost of textbooks for their students.

Held March 12 from 10 a.m. to noon in a Zoom meeting*, the What’s the Catch? Evaluating the Quality of Free Textbooks and Open Educational Resources event will give attendees the knowledge needed to evaluate and, where appropriate, begin incorporating OER into their courses. Participants will also have an opportunity to review an open textbook and receive a $250 reward.

Textbook costs have outpaced inflation by 300% over the last 30 years and research shows that a significant number of students attempt to save money by not purchasing the required course materials.

Not having the necessary content compromises student success and creates an uneven playing field within the classroom. This is where OER comes in.

Open resources are being embraced by many as an alternative to the traditional publishing model. OER are different types of educational materials — including textbooks — that have open licenses or otherwise exist within the public domain. Initial concerns from faculty about using OER usually relate to their perceived level of quality.

At this event, we will explore the myths surrounding OER and evaluate the quality of these resources as compared to traditionally published course materials. Attendees will hear from other NC State faculty who are using OER as well as experts from the NC State Libraries.

Register now at go.ncsu.edu/textbook and share with your colleagues!

*The location has been changed to online web conferencing in Zoom.