In 2022, Writing Program Director Andy Buchenot and Associate Director Jennifer Price Mahoney began exploring the possibilities of developing open educational resources (OER) for W131, IU Indianapolis’s required first-year writing course. OER are teaching materials that use an open license, permitting “no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others” (UNESCO). They made this project a reality after receiving a grant supported by the “Bridge to the Future” program funded through philanthropic donations from the IUPUI Chancellor’s Circle. With those funds, they were able to create an OER textbook for W131, which enrolls an average of 2,200 undergraduates each year. Assuming a typical writing textbook costs $30, using a no-cost textbook would, collectively, save $66,000 per year.
Click here to access the textbook which is available through Canvas to all W131 students this fall. By developing OER for W131, Buchenot and Mahoney seek to increase student access by reducing upfront costs.
