Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 8

Initiative promotes free learning materials for
students, flexibility for faculty
BY MATTHEW MAKOWSKI

WHEN

Matt Ruen attended college as an undergraduate student, he
shared books with friends and repeatedly checked out materials from the library for
hours at a time, all to dodge high costs of academic textbooks.
"I made those choices knowing I wouldn't learn as much and that it would be more
difficult for me to get the same results out of my education," recalled Ruen, University
Libraries scholarly communications and outreach coordinator. "That was my preferred
alternative to finding another $200 to pay for a textbook."
The National Association of College Stores estimated that the average college student
spent approximately $600 on textbooks for the 2015-2016 academic year. That number
does not include supplemental course materials that may be required or books with above
average costs (some individual books can cost between $200-$400).
Ruen is working with a team at Grand Valley dedicated to decreasing the cost of
textbooks and other materials through the Open Educational Resources (OER) initiative.

Open Educational Resources
The initiative encourages faculty members to incorporate educational materials into their
curricula that are "open" - meaning they are free to use, have few or no access restrictions
and can be liberally mixed, customized and adapted to meet user needs. These can include
single activities, supplemental readings, online videos, full textbooks and much more.
"Textbooks are only one part of the overall cost of education, but even so, OER can help
make college more affordable and accessible to all students, and that's a move in the right
direction," said Ruen.

G R A ND VA LLE Y M AG AZ INE

8

SPR ING 201 7

Participants from University
Libraries, Center for Scholarly
and Creative Excellence,
Pew Faculty Teaching and
Learning Center, eLearning
and Emerging Technologies
and GVSU Laker Store are
breathing life into the initiative,
which officially began in 2015.
"Each of our units already
provides services and resources
that can help faculty members
create and use OER, but we
have not previously linked
these services together," Ruen
said. "If we can provide faculty
members and students with
more options for accessing
materials they are using,
everybody benefits."



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017

West Side story
Knowledge for all
Hopes and dreams for a better future
Fund honors son's memory
Athletics
Q&A
Off the Path
Research
Arts
Campus News Briefs
Alumni Giving
Alumni Profile
Alumni News Briefs
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 1
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 2
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 3
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - West Side story
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 5
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 6
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 7
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Knowledge for all
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 9
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 10
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 11
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 12
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Hopes and dreams for a better future
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 14
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 15
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Fund honors son's memory
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 17
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 18
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 19
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 20
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 21
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Athletics
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 23
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Q&A
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 25
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Off the Path
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 27
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Research
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 29
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Arts
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 31
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 32
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Campus News Briefs
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 34
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 35
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 36
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 37
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Alumni Giving
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 39
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Alumni Profile
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 41
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - Alumni News Briefs
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 43
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 44
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 45
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 46
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 47
Grand Valley Magazine Spring 2017 - 48
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