At the time of writing this blog, it is Open Education (OE) Week 2025. OE Week is a worldwide celebration held the first week of March that connects and inspires practitioners, educators, students, and communities that support and promote open educational practices. Open educational practices are teaching and learning methods that use open technologies and resources to encourage collaboration and flexibility as well as affordability and equity across education. In honor of OE Week, the Campus Library would like to highlight one of our own successful open education-centered programs.

In collaboration with IU East’s Center for Faculty Development, the Course Material Transformation (CMT) Fellowship is one example of how the Campus Library is supporting instructors in their efforts to flip their classes to zero-textbook cost courses by adopting and creating OER. This fellowship offers a $2,000 stipend to support instructors in their efforts to adopt and create educational materials in place of traditional textbooks. Studies show that the cost of course materials can negatively impact student’s classroom performance.

Since the CMT Fellowship’s inaugural year, 2023-2024, we have been able to save students an estimated $25,893.27 by eliminating traditional textbooks, including e-texts, from just 4 courses in mathematics, biology, and psychology. We also surveyed the students who enrolled in these classes the semester the new materials were introduced to get their feedback on the quality and ease of access of the materials created for the fellowship.  Out of the 102 students who participated, we found that the majority of students responded positively to the OER materials and open technologies utilized by faculty who participated in the CMT Fellowship. Ninety percent found the materials to be About the Same if not Better than educational resources from other classes, with 96% finding access to the materials to be Easier or About the Same.

Survey Highlights

BETTER than the quality of the educational resources in my other courses	About the SAME AS the quality of the educational resources in my other courses	EASIER to access compared to educational resources in my other courses	About the SAME to access compared to educational resources in my other courses	Accessed material IN THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASS	Accessed material BEFORE CLASSES STARTED
28	64	53	45	52	48

The number of students who accessed their course material BEFORE classes even started was nearly equal to those who accessed the material the very first week of classes.  We know that delays in student loan funding and other factors, such as textbooks not being stocked in the bookstore, can keep students from getting their textbooks in time for class. These delays could negatively impact a student’s success in the classroom, which is why surveying when students can access their course materials is an important detail.

This fellowship aligns with the IU East 2030 plan to support student success by lowering the cost of higher education and making course materials accessible on the first day of class a reality for all students, regardless of socioeconomic status. The Campus Library is proud to be able to advocate for open education and will continue to support initiatives like the CMT Fellowship at the IU East Campus.

If you have any questions about the Course Material Transformation Fellowship or open education at IU East, please reach out to Assistant Librarian of Access Services Beth South at eabrockm@iu.edu.