US: Massachusetts: Open Education Initiative at UMass Amherst

Date: 2011/03/01
Policy Status: Current
Language: en
Jurisdiction: Institution - Tertiary
Country: United States of America
Institution: UMass Amherst
Policy license: copyright

Tags: open textbooks

Policy Title: US: Massachusetts: Open Education Initiative at UMass Amherst - Go to the policy
Author(s): Unknown,
Description: "The high cost of commercial print textbooks is a major concern for both students and their parents. To address these concerns, the Provost’s Office and the University Libraries launched the Open Education Initiative in the Spring of 2011. The Open Education Initiative is a faculty incentive program that encourages the use of existing low-cost or free information resources to support our students’ learning. Information Literacy will also be emphasized, creating opportunities for students to develop and practice the skills of critical thinking, reasoning, communication, and integration of knowledge and perspectives.

Now in its third phase, the Open Education Initiative has generated a total savings of over $1,000,000 for students in classes that utilize open educational resources and library material."

Policy Comments:

Additional links:

• Grant press release
• ARL Report: Open Educational Resources as Learning Materials: Prospects and Strategies for University Libraries