Our Work

The Open & Affordable Education Committee was provided with an official charge by Provost Wickert in 2019:

"To affirm, enable, and expand its work in support of OER at ISU, the Senior Vice President and Provost charges the Open and Affordable Education Committee as follows:

Examine national trends regarding OER and make recommendations regarding best practices of their use
Examine the current use of OER across ISU and make recommendations to increase their use while respecting faculty rights and responsibilities
Identify any impediments to OER and other affordable course materials adoption at ISU
Explore additional affordable course material initiatives that could be developed in the future
Continue to lead and administer the committee’s existing OER initiatives

To the extent that the committee feels additional charges would be beneficial to the goal of increasing the adoption of OER, they may be added as the committee feels appropriate."¹

While much of our work focuses on OER, we understand that Open Educational Resources might not be the best fit for every course. The OAEC encourages faculty to select resources that maintain excellent teaching and learning outcomes. These solutions may include both free and low-cost resources.

Course Affordability Initiatives
Immediate Access	Course Reserves	Open Educational Resources
Students can purchase course materials at a discounted cost. Day 1 access is provided through Canvas. Interactive digital content and ebooks are often included. Having materials in one place eliminates the need for multiple access codes.	All materials are free to access electronically or in print. DVDs and streaming videos are available. The University Library handles copyright permissions and payment. Students can access most course materials in one place.	All materials are free to access online. Materials are accessible immediately and in perpetuity. Faculty can use OER as-is, edit them, or create their own. Students can order texts in print at a low cost.

The Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost's website lists Course Material Affordability among the High Impact Practices and Student Success Initiatives on their website.

Open and Affordable Education Committee Charge [pdf]