New report aims to bring free textbooks to more dual enrollment students
Open Education Resources for Dual Enrollment

News SREB News Release

Open educational resources can open the door to dual enrollment for students who want a head start on college but cannot afford the high cost of college textbooks. 

To help states and colleges create and use more open classroom materials, a new report from the Southern Regional Education Board and the Midwestern Higher Education Compact offers case studies and recommendations. 

Open educational resources are textbooks or other class materials that are free to use and share because they are openly licensed. Most often digital, OER might include presentations, study guides, assignments, quizzes and exams. They are easy for faculty to customize and update.

Hard-copy textbooks average from $80 to $150, with some as much as $400.

The report offers advice from leaders around the nation. For example, rather than impose mandates for adopting OER, colleges should help faculty understand the burden of textbook costs on their students and know the quality and ease of open educational resources.

It also gives an overview of state policies: who is responsible in each state for covering textbook costs in dual enrollment programs ─ the student, the high school, the college or the state, for example.

Case studies show how Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas have made progress in scaling the use of open educational resources, especially in dual enrollment.

The report was funded by a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to the four regional higher education compacts, including MHEC and SREB.