Equity and OER

The Link Between OER, Equity, and California Community Colleges

California Community College students face unique challenges. The CCC Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) has provided a number of key facts about these 2.1 million students, including the following:

  • Over 67% are from diverse ethnic backgrounds
  • Over 62% attend part-time
  • Roughly 50% come from California's lowest-income families
  • Roughly 40% are first-generation
  • Over 40% are over 25 (already working adults)

The Institute for College Access & Success concluded in their February 2018 report Links to an external site., that "affordability challenges contribute to inequities in college enrollment, completion, and student debt burdens, with low-income and minority students less likely to enroll or complete college, and more likely to have borrowed for college." Furthermore, increased attention has been given to students’ basic needs, as food and housing insecurity have been shown to undermine academic success and impact college completion and persistence (Goldrick-Rab, Richardson, Schneider, Hernandez, & Caty, 2018).

Studies Link Textbook Costs to Equity

Looking at several studies will give a better understanding of how textbook costs and equity are linked. 

CSUCI White Paper

CSU Channel Islands’ openCI initiative completed a campus-wide study in 2018 of over 700 undergraduate students. This is a unique study because it focuses on exploring the impact of textbook costs specifically on historically underserved populations. Statistical analysis revealed textbook prices to be a significant educational barrier for all CSUCI students, with a disproportionately negative effect among racial/ethnic minorities, low-income students, and first-generation college students.

The study concludes that it is our responsibility as staff, faculty, and administrators to "remove any unnecessary financial barriers to academic success, and to ensure that our students’ learning potential is never limited by their purchasing power."

The key findings from the CSUCI White Paper are below. The indications of statistical significance are as follows:

  • 1 indicates less than a 5% chance of error due to sampling error;
  • 2 indicates less than a 1% chance of error;
  • 3 indicates less than a 0.1% chance of error.

The following table is a comparison of the experiences of White and Latinx students.

Statistically significant results for White and Latinx students
Experience White Latinx Statistical Significance
Experienced increased stress due to textbook costs 85.7% 91.1% 1
Ratings of stress levels on a Likert-type scale of 1-10 6.5 7.2 3
Did not have a textbook on the first day of class due to cost 75.0% 83.6% 1
Avoided taking a class due to textbook costs 22.6% 30.7% 1
Failed a class due to textbook costs 4.4% 12.3% 2

The following table is a comparison of students who receive financial aid with those who do not.

Statistically significant results for students with and without financial aid
Experience No Financial Aid Financial Aid Dependent Statistical Significance
Experienced increased stress due to textbook costs 84.4% 90.9% 1
Ratings of stress levels on a Likert-type scale of 1-10 6.3 7.1 3
Did not have a textbook on the first day of class due to cost 74.1% 82.5% 1
Did not buy a textbook due to cost and later felt it limited learning 49.8% 58.6% 1

The following table is a comparison of the experiences of First-Generation students with those who had at least one parent who attended college.

Statistically significant results for First-Generation and Non-First-Generation Students
Experience Non-First Generation First-Generation Statistical Significance
Experienced increased stress due to textbook costs 85.9% 91.0% 1
Ratings of stress levels on a Likert-type scale of 1-10 6.5 7.1 2
Did not have a textbook on the first day of class due to cost 60.5% 67.9 1
Did not buy a textbook at all due to cost 73.4% 84.3% 3
Did not buy a textbook due to cost and later felt it limited learning 48.7% 60.8% 2
Did not buy a textbook due to cost knowing it would limit learning 38.5% 48.2% 1
Failed a class due to textbook costs 6.3% 11.2% 1

University of Georgia Study

In July 2018, a large-scale study was published that examined the impact of OER on student success metrics. The study evaluated the academic performance of 22,137 students in nine different courses at the University of Georgia. Each of these courses was taught by a professor who switched from a commercial textbook costing $100 or more to a free, open textbook from OpenStax.

The results demonstrate that OER adoption does much more than save students money. OER also impacts student learning, completion, and attainment gaps by improving end-of-course grades and decreasing DFW (D, F, and Withdrawal letter grades) rates. More specifically:

  • OER improves end-of-course grades for all students
  • OER improves course grades at greater rates for non-white and Pell-eligible students, part-time students, and populations historically underserved by higher education
  • OER decreases DFW rates for all students
  • OER decreases DFW rates at greater rates for non-white and Pell-eligible students, part-time students, and populations historically underserved by higher education
Comparison of classes using and OER with those using a commercial textbook
OER vs Commercial Change Grade Change DFW
All Students +8.6% -2.68%
Non-Pell Eligible +7.4% -2%
Pell Eligible +12.3% -4.4%
Non-White +13% -5%
Part-Time +28% -10%

Nicole Allen, Director of Open Education for SPARC, noted that “the most important finding of this study is that it directly links OER with equity. The greatest gains from using OER accrued to the students most likely to be underserved for traditional models" (McKenzie, 2018).

Optional ASCCC OERI Webinars

OER: Making the Equity Case Links to an external site.: Does the cost of textbooks impact student success and retention? Are traditionally underserved populations more affected than others? Are textbook costs adding to inequities in higher education? Join us to consider the data and discuss the benefits of OER for both students and faculty.

Attributions and Citations