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— =.

STUDENTS APPLAUD OPEN EDUCATION
RESOURCE FUNDING =

VIA THE BCES PRESS RELEASE:

Students are applauding the BC government’s an-
nounced funding infusion for the development of
open education resources (OERs). The $3.26 mil-
lion in additional funding for BCcampus will enable
the agency to create and enhance open resources
such as textbooks, online assignments, and practice
exams that will be available free for students and
instructors at BC post-secondary institutions.

“These days it’s common to pay $200 to $300 per
textbook — but it doesn’t have to be that way. This
infusion of funding will lead directly to an increase
in the availability of high quality and free course
materials for students of all backgrounds — creat-
ing a level playing field for everyone to succeed.”

— Aran Armutlu, BCFS Chairperson

The cost of textbooks and course materials has long
been a financial challenge for students: between
2002 and 2012 textbook prices rose by 82%. These
costs have a real impact on student success: 65% of
students report opting to not purchase an assigned
textbook; 49% report taking fewer courses to reduce
the cost; and 27% report that they have dropped a
course because of the cost of the textbook.

In 2012 the BC government tasked its agency BC-
campus with creating the Open Textbook Project
with $2 million in funding for the initiative. Since
then, OERs have saved students more than $9 mil-
lion by creating free and openly accessible textbook
options.

The BC Federation of Students has advocated for
the creation and use of OERs for three years with
its Open Textbooks Now! campaign. Most of the ad-
vocacy work has focused on students raising aware-
ness on campus and working with faculty to adopt
OERs in their classes; provincially the BCFS has
called for an infusion of funding to further expand
availability, particularly in under-resourced areas
such as trades.

“Students are excited that this government has lis-
tened to their concerns about textbook prices and is
taking action. This investment of $3.26 million will
launch the open education initiative forward leaps
and bounds and will save students millions of dol-
lars over just a few years.”

— Phoebe Lo Patigdas, BCFS Secretary-Treasurer

www.wearebcstudents.ca