Top
  1. Home
    2.  / 
  2. About Us
    3.  / 
  3. Events
    4.  / 
  4. Past Events
    5.  / 
  5. 2019-20

Open Textbook Workshops

Description

Are you an instructor looking for a new textbook? Perhaps you'd like something more affordable for your students, something more aligned with your syllabus or something that allows for more flexibility in your course design?

Learn about and explore free textbook alternatives by attending a one-hour workshop and writing a short review of an open textbook from the Open Textbook Library to benefit other instructors considering adoption. Receive a $200 professional development stipend for your efforts.

Register your interest in attending and apply to be considered for a $200 professional development stipend for your participation and a written review.

Once reviews have been completed, instructors will be asked to complete a W-9. Stipends will then be mailed. All applicants will be notified if they are eligible for a stipend before attending the workshop. All instructors are invited to attend a workshop regardless of stipend eligibility.

Preference is based on availability of an open textbook in the Open Textbook Library for the instructor to review and a desire for wide representation of courses (discipline and level). Instructions for writing the review will be provided at the workshop.

Parking is available for a fee in the West Broad Street, West Main Street and West Cary Street parking decks. For questions, please contact Jessica Kirschner, VCU Libraries Open Educational Resources Librarian, at (804) 828-2105 or kirschnerj2@vcu.edu.

Workshop Sessions

  • Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, 12-1 p.m. — Brown bag: Feel free to bring your lunch.
  • Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020, 2-3 p.m.
  • Tuesday, March 3, 2020, 10-11 a.m.

Open Textbook Facts

Did you know…

  • The College Board estimates that the average undergraduate should budget $1,240 for textbooks and supplies in 2018–19.
  • The high cost of course materials can impede students' academic success. For example, 43% of students took fewer courses and 36% earned a poor grade because they could not afford the textbook.
  • Open textbooks remove the financial burden of textbooks, instead allowing for equitable access for all students.
  • The students who most benefit from free materials are those from historically underserved groups, as well as first-generation students, part-time students and Pell grant recipients.
  • Open textbooks are customizable, allowing instructors to adjust books to meet their course needs and creating more engaging learning experiences.

Image: Open Textbooks