Skip to main content

Category: Open Education News

10 Ways to Celebrate Open Education Week

Posted March 3, 2025

It’s Open Education Week (March 3-7), and we’re celebrating because free and equitable access to information is at the core of what we do. This celebration also reminds us to share how you can help make education more affordable and […]

JMU Textbook Initiative Leads to Student Savings and College Affordability

Posted March 3, 2025

In 2023, JMU formed a task force to address rising textbook costs by promoting the use of Open Educational Resources (OER), which are free, accessible materials that faculty can customize for their courses.  The team of representatives from across the […]

Open Educational Resources Address College Costs (from JMU News)

Posted March 2, 2025

The cost of classroom books and supplies has proven to be a serious problem for some students. Open Educational Resources prioritize accessibility, affordability and quality of course materials.

11 Easy Ways Faculty Can Make Textbooks More Affordable

Posted February 27, 2025

Textbook costs are a serious issue for many JMU students. According to a Spring 2024 survey, 39% of JMU students chose not to enroll in a class due to the cost of textbooks and 30% of students said they take fewer […]

piggy bank sitting on a stack of books

2 JMU Faculty Awarded Grants to Create Open Textbooks 

Posted February 18, 2025

Two JMU faculty members were recently selected as recipients for the statewide Open Course Grants program:  Here’s what Dr. Johnson had to say: “‘I wrote Dear Computer for many reasons. To save students money, to clarify and organize my own […]

Apply by March 23 for Summer Stipend for Transitioning to OER

Posted February 17, 2025

The JMU Libraries Summer Stipend for Transitioning to OER provides funding for faculty to do critical course redesign work, such as developing new assignments and graded activities, when transitioning to an open textbook or other open educational resources (OER).

Rose Library in golden light

More Dynamic Leadership Library Makes Its Debut

Posted January 28, 2025

The School of Strategic Leadership Studies (SSLS) has partnered with JMU Libraries to transform their Leadership Instruments Library (LIL) into a more accessible, user-friendly, and evolving resource for leadership scholars and researchers. Originally a collection of static PDFs, the LIL […]

Facing the High Cost of Textbooks (from JMU’s “Being the Change” podcast)

Posted January 27, 2025

Librarian Liz Thompson and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Malika Carter-Hoyt discuss how Open Education Resources in the JMU Libraries are helping students find alternatives to paying the high price of some textbooks and course materials. 

Calling All Podcast Listeners 

Posted January 27, 2025

Have you discovered JMU’s new podcast, Being the Change? It features interviews with members of the JMU community that take place right in our Audio Recording room in Rose Library!  Today, we’re excited to share four episodes that highlight projects […]

Create Your Own Open Course Materials

Posted January 27, 2025

JMU faculty and staff, are you searching for a platform to publish an open textbook, white paper, technical report, or open-access book?   We have two ways to help you get started using Pressbooks, an ideal tool for creating openly-licensed teaching, […]