US: Illinois: Open Source Textbook Initiative

Date: 2014/07/01
Policy Status: Current
Language: en
Jurisdiction: System
Country: United States of America
Institution: University of Illinois
Policy license: copyright

Tags: open textbooks

Policy Title: US: Illinois: Open Source Textbook Initiative - Go to the policy
Author(s): Charles V. Evans

Description: "The University of Illinois is the recipient of a Congressionally-directed grant, in the amount of $150,000, to 'design, create, and implement open-source educational materials for use in introductory college courses.' The effort will build on the University's quality faculty and rich history in the utilization of technology, allowing it to develop expertise and capacity in the crafting of open-source textbooks. This project was motivated, in part, as a response to the widely-recognized problem that the costs of textbooks and associated learning materials have challenged college affordability for many students and their parents. It is important that the University of Illinois provide leadership in this emerging form of publishing to the benefit of our current students while ensuring greater access to a broader spectrum of Illinois' population."

Policy Comments:

The grant produced an open textbook on environmental sustainability:
Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation (alternate link: here)