[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_5,2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
When I hit “publish” on my first OER-based syllabus,\u00a0I’ll\u00a0admit\u00a0I was nervous. Would the materials hold up? Would students take free resources seriously? Would I regret abandoning the familiar, glossy textbook\u00a0and publisher resources\u00a0I’d\u00a0used for years?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Three weeks into the semester, a student emailed me at 11\u00a0pm. Not to complain\u00a0but\u00a0to thank me.\u00a0She’d\u00a0just accessed our primary source collection from her phone while\u00a0waiting\u00a0tables, squeezing in reading between shifts. “I\u00a0never could\u00a0have afforded the old textbook,” she wrote. “This changes\u00a0everything.”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That’s\u00a0when it hit me: I\u00a0hadn’t\u00a0just changed my course materials.\u00a0I’d\u00a0changed what was possible for my students.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/affiliate.wcu.edu\/cfc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/87\/2026\/02\/OER-Commons-Logo.png” alt=”OER Commons Logo. ” title_text=”OER Commons Logo” show_bottom_space=”off” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”655.4px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Five years ago, I took the plunge and replaced my standard $100+ U.S. History textbook with Open Educational Resources, or OER for short. The decision came after years of watching students show up to class without required\u00a0readings,\u00a0not because they\u00a0didn’t\u00a0care, but because they\u00a0couldn’t\u00a0afford them. Some waited weeks for financial aid. Others simply went without, cobbling together whatever they could find online or\u00a0hoping\u00a0a classmate\u00a0or I\u00a0would share.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The results of switching to OER?\u00a0For one, the\u00a0financial impact\u00a0was immediate. Twenty-eight students, zero textbook costs.\u00a0That’s\u00a0roughly $2,800\u00a0staying in students’ pockets. Money that went toward rent, groceries, and other course materials instead of a single book\u00a0they’d\u00a0use for one semester.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Another impact of my adoption\u00a0was that\u00a0access barriers vanished overnight. On day one of the\u00a0semester, every single student had\u00a0complete\u00a0access to all course materials. No waiting for paychecks. No scrambling for library reserves. No apologetic emails about not having the reading.\u00a0They had\u00a0instant, universal access from any device, anywhere.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But\u00a0here’s\u00a0what surprised me most.\u00a0The content itself\u00a0fit my teaching style\u00a0better. The OER materials I curated\u00a0included\u00a0primary sources from the Library of Congress,\u00a0digital archives, and a textbook which engaged students\u00a0in ways\u00a0my\u00a0old textbook never did. They\u00a0weren’t\u00a0passively highlighting paragraphs; they were analyzing\u00a0Ida B. Well’s actual words, zooming in on Civil War photographs, and exploring multimedia narratives that brought history alive\u00a0and made the class relevant.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As for my own workload, the transition was more or less a wash.\u00a0There was some upfront time spent identifying quality OER materials and making sure they covered what I needed, but once that\u00a0foundation\u00a0was laid, things ran pretty smoothly.\u00a0I\u00a0wasn’t\u00a0constantly working around a publisher’s chapter structure\u00a0so, in some ways, having the flexibility to pull from multiple sources made my planning feel a little more intentional.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Making the switch\u00a0wasn’t\u00a0just about saving\u00a0students money, though that alone would have been worth it. It was about rethinking what’s possible when cost\u00a0isn’t\u00a0a barrier to learning.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”23.8px” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”178.2px” custom_margin=”-29px|auto||auto||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Interested in exploring the potential of adopting OER materials for your classes?\u00a0<\/span><\/span>CFC is partnering with the Bookstore and Hunter Library\u00a0<\/span><\/span>to provide funding and support.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Visit the\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span>OER\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Grant Program\u00a0<\/span><\/span>website<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span>for more details.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.5″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n