FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, August 13, 2020
STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University today announced it is one of 12 schools chosen to join the 2020-2021 OpenStax Institutional Partnership Network. As a participant Tarleton will work to encourage greater use of free, flexible textbooks among its faculty and students.
Participants in the network’s first-year program will receive individualized consulting and join a cohort of colleges and universities advocating widespread use of OER. On average, institutions that join the network increase the number of students impacted by OER by 158 percent after completing the first year. The program says OER has generated over $20 million in student savings.
“One of Tarleton’s ongoing goals is continuing to offer an affordable college education,” said Dr. Diane Taylor, Associate Provost and Senior Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. “Tarleton’s partnership with OpenStax will allow us to scale our efforts toward low- and no-cost textbooks at a more rapid pace than our efforts alone could realize.”
Open educational resources, including the free textbooks offered by OpenStax, allow unrestricted, immediate access to learning materials, increasing the likelihood of students completing their courses successfully. Offered under a Creative Commons license, OER gives instructors the ability to modify textbooks to better serve their teaching approach and evolving student needs.
For more information on Tarleton’s OER initiative, visit https://www.tarleton.edu/library/services/oer.html.
OpenStax is committed to improving access to quality learning materials. An initiative of Rice University and supported by philanthropic foundations, OpenStax provides free, high-quality, peer-reviewed textbooks and affordable educational technology designed to improve learning outcomes. For more information, visit openstax.org.
Tarleton, founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
Contact: Phil Riddle
817-484-4415
[email protected]
