WASHINGTON -- Community colleges and high schools would receive federal funds to create free, online courses in a program that is in the final stages of being drafted by the Obama administration. The program is part of a series of efforts to help community colleges reach more students and to link basic skills education to job training. The proposals are outlined in administration discussion drafts obtained by Inside Higher Ed. A formal announcement could come in the next few weeks. In addition to the free online courses, the plan would provide $9 billion over 10 years to help community colleges develop and improve programs related to preparing students for good jobs, and a $10 billion loan fund (at low or no interest) for community college facilities.
The funds envisioned for open courses -- $50 million a year…
This could be REALLY big for eLearning and Adult Basic Education.
With a little luck, this could mean (1) new resources for college eLearning programs and (2) a good start in moving toward open educational resources.
OER Africa, an initiative of SAIDE, has been established to play a leading role in driving the development and use of OER in higher education systems on the African continent. This article reflects the central thinking of Catherine Ngugi, the OER Africa Programme Director, and Neil Butcher, the OER Africa Strategist.
National Student Organizations call for Open Access to Research
Washington, DC -- A coalition of national and regional college student associations today issued a "Student Statement on the Right to Research," calling on universities, research funders, and researchers to take action in support of Open Access to research. The American Medical Student Association, the Student PIRGs, Students for Free Culture, and Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, as well as the Trinity University Association of Student Representatives and the California Institute of Technology Graduate Student Council have signed the statement.
Students rely on access to academic journal literature for their research and education. However, even before the recent economic crisis many colleges have struggled with the high costs of journal subscriptions, restricting access for students and scientists alike. The statement reads, in part: "Learning and inquiry are impeded when scholars lack access to fellow researchers' work, and when students lack access to the work of scholars before them.
At the same time, digital technologies have opened new opportunities for research. New tools facilitate faster discoveries, speed the development of new technologies, and accelerate the progress of science. Patients could have access to the latest medical research, citizens could evaluate scientific information on environmental impacts, and developing countries could apply the most recent scholarship to public health and development efforts. But access barriers leave these opportunities under-explored.
Open Access is an alternative to the traditional closed, subscription-access system of scholarly communication. Open Access makes the results of scholarly research available online for free, immediately upon publication, and removes barriers for scholarly and educational re-use. Entire journals can be open-access, or an author can provide
Open Access to an individual article by posting a copy on an openly accessible Web site.All forms of open-access publication depend on rigorous methods of quality control, including peer review."
Textbook prices have risen more than twice the rate of inflation for the past 25 years, and now cost the average student $900 per year.
Publishers continue to exacerbate the problem by pumping out new editions every few years and packaging books with costly extras like CDs and pass codes.
Students, instructors, colleges and parents share frustration with the high cost of textbooks, but what can be done?
This webinar will present information about a forthcoming solution to the textbook affordability crisis: open textbooks. These books are similar to traditional texts, except that they are offered free online and sold for lower prices in print. If open textbooks gain traction in the marketplace, they could drive textbook costs down for good.
Come learn from these speakers, who provide a variety of perspectives on textbook affordability and open textbooks as a solution:
·Nicole Allen, a consumer advocate from the Student Public Interest Research Groups and director of Make Textbooks Affordable.
·Levi Menovske, a junior at UC-Davis and leader of the student open textbooks campaign in California.
·Eric Frank, co-founder of an open textbook publishing company and veteran of the traditional publishing industry.
·Joining this group will be a professor and a student to share their experiences with using an open textbook in a college course.
·Introduction by Dr. Cable Green from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
"That's why I am so excited about the digital textbooks initiative California just launched. Starting with high school math and science books, this initiative paves the way for easier access to free digital texts in California's schools. By frequently updating texts as they are developed, rather than continuing to teach from outdated textbooks, we will better prepare our students.
California must take the lead on using 21st century technology to expand learning and serve our students, parents, teachers and schools better. Even in good economic times, state government should always strive to use taxpayer dollars to the greatest effect. But especially now, it is imperative that we find ways to do more with less.
Last year, the state earmarked $350 million for school books and other instructional materials. Imagine the savings schools could realize by using these high-quality, free resources. Even if teachers have to print out some of the material, it will be far cheaper than regularly buying updated textbooks.
However, there are those who ardently defend the status quo, claiming our vision of providing learning materials to students for free would risk a high-quality education. That's nonsense. As the music and newspaper industries will attest, those who adapt quickly to changing consumer and business demands will thrive in our increasingly digital society and worldwide economy. Digital textbooks can help us achieve those goals and ensure that California's students continue to thrive in the global marketplace."
