Open Textbook Projects/Initiatives
BCcampus Open Textbook Project: Creating open textbooks for Higher Education institutions in British Columbia, Canada, the BCcampus open textbook project have produced over 160 open textbooks in popular subjects and for trades, technology and skills training.
e-Campus Ontario: Over 180 open textbooks are available via the e-Campus Ontario open textbook library, developed in partnership with BCcampus.
OpenStax: Based at Rice University, Houston, TX OpenStax have been producing open textbooks in high enrolment subjects since June 2012. Rice also host OpenStax CNX (formerly Connexions) where you can remix openly licensed content. As at fall 2017 OpenStax have developed and published nearly 30 open textbooks.
Open Textbook Network: Based at the University of Minnesota the Open Textbook Network advocate for open textbooks and build capacity and community across their 600+ campus member institutions in the United States. The Open Textbook Library also host the Open Textbook Library.
Siyavula: Math and science open textbook providers based in South Africa.
Directory of Open Access Books DOAB: books from many of the above sources plus publishers with open access options.
UK Initiatives
@UCLPress a fully #openaccess publishing house based at University College London. Lara Speicher, Publishing Manager has written a blog article describing the initiative – sharing openly licensed books (and other models) on a wide variety of subjects. Why should institutions consider publishing open access textbooks.
Jisc e-textbook publisher project includes the UCL team, University of Liverpool, University of Nottingham and University of the Highlands and Islands with Edinburgh Napier University. All are exploring different ways of creating more sustainable library environments through e-textbook creation, and of course, making education more affordable to students.
Open Book Publishers – open access academic research in a range of areas from Humanities to Social Science and Science. Again, exploring a range of free access versus for cost models. 110 books published to date.
e-International Relations – freely downloadable (or low cost printed) versions of books relating to International Relations – a global collaboration that started in 2007.
Open Textbook Resources
BC Campus Open Textbook Adoption Toolkit
BC Campus Open Textbook Accessibility Toolkit
The Rebus Guide to Publishing Open Textbooks (So Far)
Manitoba Open Textbook Starter Kit
Make Textbooks Affordable (Student PIRGs)
Textbooks in Browsers: An editor for Creating, Adapting and Sharing
Sprint methodologies
Sprint methodologies have been deployed to rapidly generate open textbook content and other types of open educational resources (OER).
South Africa
Textbook writing sprint with K12 teachers in South Africa (Kathi Fletcher)
British Columbia
The Great Psychology Testbank Sprint (Rajiv Jhangiani)
Adopting and Adapting OER Workshop Design Sprint (Erin Beattie)
Roundup of the Geography Open Textbook Sprint (Clint Lalonde)
Post-textbook sprint: BC in a Global Context (Clint Lalonde)
How to turn a great idea into an open textbook in just four days (Tori Klassen)
Skills for Open Textbook Sprint Librarians (BCcampus) (slides)
You built a textbook in how many days?! (Clint Lalonde) (slides)
Research on Open Textbooks
The following list comprises of selected research papers on the impact of open textbooks and was compiled with the assistance of the Open Education Group’s review of research into the impact of open educational resources (OER).
Hilton III, J. & Laman, C. One College’s Use of an Open Psychology Textbook (2012, Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning)
Jhangiani, R. Pitt, R, Hendricks, C. Key, J. & Lalonde, C. BCcampus Research Report: Exploring Faculty Use of Open Educational Resources in British Columbia Post-Secondary Institutions (2016, BCcampus)
Ozdemir, O. & Hendricks, C. Instructor and Student Experiences with Open Textbooks, from the California Open Online Library for Education (Cool4Ed) (2017, Journal of Computing in Higher Education)
Petrides, L. Jimes, C. Middleton-Detzner, C. Walling, J. & Weiss, S. Open Textbook Adoption and Use: Implications for Teachers and Learners (2011, Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning)
Pitt, R. Mainstreaming Open Textbooks: Educator Perspectives on the Impact of OpenStax College Open Textbooks (2015, IRRODL)
Robinson, T.J. The Effects of Open Educational Resource Adoption on Measures of Post-Secondary Student Success (2015)
Robinson, T.J. Fischer, L. Wiley, D. & Hilton III, J. The Impact of Open Textbooks on Secondary Science Learning Outcomes (2014, Educational Researcher)
Wiley, D. Hilton III, J. Ellington, S. & Hall, T. A preliminary examination of the cost savings and learning impacts of using open textbooks in middle and high school science classes (2012, IRRODL)
Annual Open Textbook Events
Open Textbook Summit: hosted by BCcampus, the summit akes place every May in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
