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8 Ways to Celebrate Open Education Week

Posted February 26, 2024 in JMU Libraries News, Open Education News

It’s almost Open Education Week (March 4-8), and we’re celebrating because free and equitable access to information is at the core of what we do, and because it gives us an excuse to share how you can help make education more affordable and accessible for your students.

By now you’ve probably seen the results of the 2021 student survey that show how many JMU students experience textbook costs as a barrier to their education. Open education initiatives aim to address these problems and keep students thriving at JMU. If you’d like to help us gather more recent data on textbook affordability at JMU, please encourage your class to take this new student survey for 2024.

Here are 8 ways you can celebrate Open Education Week!

  1. Find out what your JMU faculty peers are doing to address the high cost of textbooks and promote open education at JMU. Faculty members like you are using, creating, and customizing open course materials for their classes.
  2. Apply for a $2,000 stipend to start using open course materials through our Summer Stipend program. Keep an eye on our Grants & Stipends page for future opportunities.
  3. Adopt an open textbook. The deadline to notify the Bookstore about your Summer textbook adoptions is March 15, and the Fall deadline is April 15. Contact Liz Thompson if you need help finding open and affordable course content.
  4. Take our open textbook survey: If you already use open textbooks or open course materials in your classes, let us know! Complete this faculty survey by April 1, 2024.
  5. Mark Your Course as No/Low-Cost in MyMadison: If the total cost of required materials for your course is $40 or less at the JMU Bookstore, please alert the relevant staff in your department so they can add this info to Course Scheduler. The final window to make course updates for Fall enrollment is March 21-27.
  6. Create open course materials: If you’re ready to learn how to publish your own customizable open course materials, join our self-paced workshop at any time: Publishing Open Textbooks at JMU.
  7. Learn more about the cross-campus team that has formed to accelerate Open and Affordable Textbook Initiatives at JMU and how their goals align with Statewide and National Open Initiatives.
  8. Get to know our champion for open, affordable textbooks. Liz Thompson is our Open Education Librarian. Thanks in large part to her work, over 5,600 JMU students saved more than $618,000 in book costs in the 2023-2024 academic year, and the program is growing!

Contact Open Education Librarian Liz Thompson to share your ideas and questions about open education and textbook affordability at JMU.