After viewing the videos and articles related to the topic of open source from Openness in Education site. I was thinking how to connect open source and course design together instead of thinking about the technical or software related usage, and I found some interesting articles about open source and instructional design.
The answer is: Open Source .. Textbook.
Benefits
Why do we need open source textbooks instead of the traditional ones? An article about the migration of open source software from the Gbdirect site (http://ebusiness.gbdirect.co.uk/) listed several business benefits of open source software, which I believe can applied to open source textbook as well. Those benefits are:
- Stability
- Reliability
- Auditability
- Cost
- Flexibility and Freedom
- Support and Accountability
How?
There are several ways for teachers to design or choose open resource textbook. One good website is the Open Tax College (http://openstaxcollege.org/), the collections include College Physics/Introduction to Sociology/Biology/Concepts of Biology and Anatomy of Physiology. Teachers can register, and use the existing textbooks from Open Tax College website, edit the contents, and then publish as specific textbook for their courses. Students can download the textbook as PDF or read it online for free. Another example is the Apple iBook, which teachers can develop their digital textbooks from scratch.
Concerns
Among the benefits of open source textbooks, there are some concerns. The first one is the lack of supplementary features offered by publisher. Another one is the time that teachers need to spend to review the edit the new textbook and modify the course design if they have been using the same textbook for years. (Smith, 2012). But the usage of free textbook can certainly reduce the cost for students among other benefits Conclusion So, should we support and create open source textbooks? I think the decision should base on the course needs. However, using open source textbooks can be a marketing strategy to promote courses. When students are interested in a course and they can have access to view the actual textbook and knowing that the cost is lower, it can encourage students registering the course. The faculty edited textbook can also be shared as OER mateirals. It’s a win-win situation.
Resources:
- Benefits of Using Open Source Software (http://open-source.gbdirect.co.uk/migration/benefit.html)
- Open Source Migration Guide. Godirect. Retrieved February 13, 2012. From http://open-source.gbdirect.co.uk/migration
- Smith, M. (2012, February 7). “Who pay for intro textbooks?” Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved February 14, 2012, from http://www.insidehighered.com
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