SGA Supports Open Textbooks Jennifer Walsh 3/1/16 TRT 01:29:23

Video / Audio
SGA members voting for motion at meeting / WALSH VO: Ithaca College’s Student Government Association passed a bill to begin discussions about the use of open textbooks at their meeting last week.
Screenshot of open textbook database
/ WALSH VO: Open textbooks are textbooks with open copyright, which lets the public access them for free. Professors can modify these textbooks to fit their classes and upload their work to open textbook databases.
Students buying textbooks at bookstore
CG: Average savings from open textbook use: $128 / WALSH VO: According to The Ithacan, the bill cited studies indicating the use of open textbooks saved the average college student roughly one hundred twenty-eight dollars.
MILLER OC
CG: Toria Miller, Freshman Physical Therapy Major
Miller using biology textbook in class
Miller showing receipts for textbooks / MILLER OC: Last semester I spent about four hundred dollars on textbooks and this semester I only spent about fifteen dollars.
MILLER VO: Some of that was also because my bio textbook, it carried over, for like both semesters I could use the same one…overall this year I spent about four hundred dollars, but it was unequal between semesters.
WALSH OC / WALSH OC: Though students felt the measure was beneficial, they disagreed on whether open textbooks would fit into their courses.
Miller using online textbook with physical book next to it
Students discussing a play in a seminar
Miller in class taking notes / MILLER VO: For some classes… you need a specific textbook to match up with that online course. It’s very specific to it... Maybe my seminar last semester, that wouldn’t work, because you discuss these specific books and plays. I think some of the courses that would work well for aren’t the courses I’m taking right now.
Brown calling on students to answer questions / WALSH VO: Sophomore Samantha Brown is a teaching assistant for an Honors seminar titled Power and Justice in the Dark Knight Trilogy, which uses no textbooks.
BROWN OC
CG: Samantha Brown, Sophmore Athletic Training Major/Teaching Assistant
Brown in classroom talking with professor
Brown and professor looking at assignments / BROWN OC: I think some professors will utilize this to assign additional texts or make their books available, but I still think purchasing textbooks will remain a large part of our college expenses.
BROWN VO: It's hard to say how someone who has been in education will react to an idea like an open copyright. However, I think some will definitely make use of this new resource.
WALSH OC / WALSH OC: For NewsWatch 16, I’m Jennifer Walsh, Ithaca.

Interviews:

Samantha Brown, sophomore Athletic Training major and Teaching Assistant of HNRS 23011 Power and Justice in the Dark Knight Trilogy

You student teach a seminar. If you know, how much of a factor was the cost of the materials and texts for each student when designing the class?

The seminar that I TA for with the Honors Program doesn't require a textbook mostly because a good one doesn't really exist for the material. We did consider assigning comic books to be bought but it didn't fit in with the course load.

As a student how much did you spend on textbooks this semester? Was it more or less expensive than you expected?

I spent about 300 this semester on books which wasn't bad compared to other semesters

What do you see as the advantages and drawbacks of using open textbooks?

Open textbooks would be nice by the cost standpoint as well as their collaborative nature, but I think it adds an extra element to the faculty that may not be sustainable.

Do you think more professors at Ithaca College will make use of open textbooks in the future? Why or why not?

I think some professors will utilize this to assign additional texts or make their books available, but I still think purchasing textbooks will remain a large part of our college expenses. It's hard to say how someone who has been in education will react to an idea like an open copyright. However, I think some will definitely make use of this new resource.

Are there learning methods or tools besides textbooks that you would like to see more widely implemented across Ithaca College?

I think the collaborative classroom is something we don't see a lot of, where you can be sharing more ideas and pose questions, whether that be an online forum or some other ways for peers to teach peers.

Toria Miller, freshman Physical Therapy major

How much did you spend on textbooks this semester?

Last semester I spent about four hundred dollars on textbooks and this semester I only spent about fifteen dollars. Some of that was also because my bio textbook, it carried over, for like both semesters I could use the same one, and last semester I needed Mastering Bio online and Mastering Chem online. I didn’t need Mastering Chem this semester, but for Mastering Bio I could use the same thing as before so I didn’t have to pay for that again.

So your textbooks for your particular major carry over?

Yeah, so like overall this year I spent about four hundred dollars, but it was unequal between semesters.

Do you think professors should consider the price of a textbook before including it in a course? Why or why not?

I think definitely, because if like two textbooks are pretty much the same except one doesn’t include maybe one section that they want to cover and that’s the only reason they were going to choose that one, and they could just explain it in a PowerPoint and that textbook costs like a hundred dollars more, then it would make more sense to go with the cheaper one and work around that a little bit.

Did you anticipate spending more or less money on textbooks when you came to college, or at least this semester?

I mean like I know that I’m a science major, and science textbooks are normally expensive, so I was kind of expecting that I guess, but some things…like last semester I had a Block One course and I had to buy a seventy-dollar textbook for that, so that was a bit ridiculous.

Do you think open textbooks will become more popular as a result of the SGA motion that was passed recently? Why or why not?

For some classes, like maybe that could work, but like I said with Mastering Bio and Mastering Chemistry online you need a specific textbook to match up with that online course. It’s very specific to it. So for chem and bio, that wouldn’t work. Maybe my seminar last semester, that wouldn’t work, because you discuss these specific books and plays. I think some of the courses that would work well for aren’t the courses I’m taking right now.

Are there other tools or learning methods besides textbooks you would like to see in more courses? If so, what are they?

Hmm… As much as Mastering Bio and Mastering Chem are annoying, the textbook helps. Also PowerPoints and stuff like that.

Outline:

The story is centered around a bill the SGA recently passed to promote discussing the use of open textbooks around campus. These textbooks are available through an open copyright, which means they are free for public use and can be adapted by professors. I specifically want to look at how students think it will impact them financially and academically.

I read about this SGA bill in The Ithacan. I’ve heard of open textbooks before but have never seen them used in class, but I was curious to see what other members of the IC community thought of the idea.

I will speak to students with different majors/backgrounds to get different opinions because their different course loads mean that they’ve had to spend different amounts on textbooks and that their classes use different tools to learn. I’d like to interview a TA or professor as well to see the perspective that comes with using textbooks to teach a class rather than learning new material from them.

This story will be important to Ithaca College students and professors, especially those who aren’t aware of the bill passed by the SGA. This story could potentially impact the way a variety of classes are taught.

I will research the idea by citing The Ithacan’s article. I also checked the SGA site to try to find the actual bill, but most of their information was out of date and did not contain the latest bills.

I will find sources in different departments on campus.

In case this story falls through, I could do a story on the town of Ithaca’s new plan to address drug addiction or the community board’s temporary moratorium on duplex construction, which directly impacts students looking for places to live off campus.