Are Free Textbooks the Future? Trinity Panel Explores Open Educational Resources

Kashmala Khan ’29

Managing Editor

Students and faculty gathered during common hour on March 5 in the Dangremond Family Commons for a panel on the growing use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in college classrooms. The event drew a larger number of faculty than students, and explored how free and adaptable learning material can reshape teaching practices and reduce the financial burden of textbooks.

The panel consisted of Professor Dang Do, Professor Rachel Keeffe, and Professor Nick Marino. Erin Barbakoff ’26 and Caroline Howell ’26 served as student panelists, whilst Jeremy Garritano from the Research and Instruction Team at the Raether Library and Information Technology Center moderated the panel. 

The panel began by outlining what OER are and why they are gaining attention in higher education. Unlike traditional textbooks, OER materials are openly accessible and can often be modified by instructors to suit their courses. Garritano explained that the flexibility of these materials allows professors to remix or adapt chapters, reorganize content, and tailor readings to match the specific goals of a class.

Garritano further emphasized the financial implications for students, noting the results of a campus survey conducted last spring. “Four percent of the students said that they paid over four hundred dollars in textbooks for their course materials,” he said. The same survey also indicated that many students face financial hardship due to these costs and sometimes seek alternative ways to access required readings.

Faculty members discussed how OER can address this issue while maintaining academic quality. Professor Keeffe described adopting a free biology textbook for a course that did not require students to invest in an expensive traditional text. “I advertise the course as free so that students would know right away that they don’t have to invest in a text,” she said. Because the resource was already organized and accessible online, students could easily access it on their phones or computers without additional platforms.

From the student perspective, the experience of using OER in the classroom was largely positive. Howell mentioned, “It was really awesome to actually have access to a textbook on the first day of class; there was no waiting to find it or trying to rent it somewhere.”

The student also noted that the digital format did not feel different from traditional materials. “It was just as informative and engaging as any other course material,” Howell maintained.

Beyond simply adopting existing resources, Professor Do and Professor Marino described more ambitious approaches that involve students in creating OER themselves. In the Legislative Internship Program under Professor Do, students worked together to build chapters of a textbook related to the subject matter of the class. The goal was not only to provide a free resource but also to deepen learning through the process of researching, writing, and editing the material.

Professor Marino further described using OER creation as a writing assignment in which students developed sections of a digital textbook. The project required them to think about design, layout, and different modes of communication. “Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first,” he said, whilst emphasizing that the iterative process of drafting and revising was central to the learning experience.

Throughout the discussion, panelists also addressed common misconceptions about open resources. One recurring concern is that free materials may lack quality. Faculty members noted that careful evaluation, peer review, and collaboration with librarians can ensure that OER meets the same academic standards as traditional textbooks.

The panel concluded by addressing how colleges and universities might encourage more faculty to adopt or create OER. Panelists noted that developing these materials can be time-consuming and require significant effort. Professor Keeffe described it as “a huge undertaking,” and mentioned that faculty often have to balance the work with other academic responsibilities. 

Thus, all panelists pointed to small grants from the college and support from librarians and instructional technology staff as helpful resources that can incentivize investing in OER. They further suggested that recognizing OER work in promotion or tenure evaluations could further encourage more faculty to invest the time needed to develop open materials.

For students, however, the benefits were presented clearly: accessible materials, reduced costs, and, in some cases, the opportunity to participate directly in creating the resources used in their own education.