Assessing the OER & Textbook Experience at UTSA

Please share your honest perceptions of the OER you have seen for your courses/discipline.

Limited OER Availability in Architecture:

• Several instructors noted that while there are some OER materials available for architecture, especially in general areas, there is a lack of high-quality, discipline-specific content—particularly for architectural history.
• Some existing resources were described as superficial or written from an art history perspective, which doesn’t align with how architecture is typically taught.

Successful Use in Introductory Courses

One instructor successfully used OER in a freshman-level course by combining materials from various sources and using grant support to curate and share content, helping students avoid buying multiple textbooks.

Use of Free Library Resources

Another instructor uses freely available resources through the UTSA library, such as Think Like an Architect by Hal Box, which aligns well with their teaching style, even if it’s not technically classified as OER.

Ongoing Search and Hope for Improvement

Despite current limitations, faculty expressed hope that more suitable and scholarly OER materials for architecture will become available in the future.

What criteria do you consider when adopting textbooks for your courses? How do you evaluate textbooks/learning materials for your courses?

Faculty members discussed the criteria they consider when selecting textbooks or learning materials for their courses. Key points included:

Accessibility and Readability

• Instructors look for textbooks that are easy for students to read and understand, especially in introductory or core curriculum courses.
• Short chapters, clear summaries, and engaging visuals are valued for enhancing student comprehension and interest.

Relevance and Alignment with Course Goals:

• Textbooks should align with course content and complement what is taught in lectures or studio work.
• Some faculty aim to connect textbook material with concurrent learning in other courses, such as design studios.

Scholarly Depth and Detail

• For more advanced or specialized courses, instructors seek textbooks that provide detailed, scholarly content that expands on lecture material without duplicating it.
• They prefer books written by experts in the field and vetted by academic publishers.

Visual Appeal and Interdisciplinary Content

• Especially in design-related courses, visuals are important for engaging students and supporting analysis.
• In fields like healthcare design, interdisciplinary perspectives—including policy and architecture—are also considered essential.

Challenges and Alternatives

• Some faculty noted the difficulty of finding a single textbook that meets all their needs and have considered combining multiple resources or even creating their own materials.
• There was interest in collaborating to develop new, tailored textbooks when suitable ones don’t exist.

What are some reasons that UTSA faculty may be hesitant to adopt OER?

Time Commitment

• One faculty member emphasized that reviewing, selecting, and aligning OER materials with course content is very time-consuming—sometimes taking up to a year.
• Even after adoption, materials often need to be updated or checked for relevance.

OER vs. Open Access

• There was a discussion about the distinction between OER and other freely available materials like journal articles. Only materials that are openly licensed (e.g., Creative Commons) qualify as OER.
• Faculty were encouraged to supplement OER with library resources using tools like the Library Reading List in Canvas.

Support and Flexibility

• OER Coordinator clarified that while grant tiers may define specific expectations (e.g., no-cost vs. OER-specific), faculty are encouraged to use a mix of OER and library resources to maintain academic freedom and course quality.

Barriers to Adoption

• Faculty may hesitate to adopt OER due to the lack of support materials (e.g., instructor guides, test banks), uncertainty about quality, or fear of being the first to try something new.
• Suggestions included providing examples of successful OER use in specific disciplines to help faculty feel more confident and supported.

What do you feel that UTSA could do to better support faculty that adopt OER?

Time and Labor Challenges

• Developing or adapting OER is time-consuming, often requiring extensive review and customization.
• Faculty noted that while most resources are free, the time investment is significant and often uncompensated.

Grant Flexibility

• UTSA currently offers grants to support OER adoption, but there are limitations on how funds can be used.
• Faculty expressed a desire for more flexibility, such as using funds for stipends or hiring student assistants to help with tasks like scanning or formatting.

Professional Development and Training

• Newer faculty, in particular, would benefit from training on how to find, evaluate, and implement OER.
• Suggestions included workshops, guidance on available tools, and clear points of contact for support.

Peer Networks and Shared Resources

• Faculty value hearing how colleagues approach OER challenges and appreciate curated lists of resources as starting points.
• Building knowledge communities or networks could help foster collaboration and reduce the burden on individual instructors.

Library Support and Tools

• The UTSA Libraries offers tools like the Library Reading List in Canvas, which can integrate library resources into courses.
• Faculty are encouraged to combine OER with library materials to enhance course content while maintaining academic freedom.

What ideas do you have for recognizing faculty that adopt OER? How would you like to be recognized for adopting OER?

Recognition and Awards

• There was interest in recognizing faculty who adopt or create OER, possibly through departmental or university-level awards.
• Suggestions included creating a category for “Best Use of OER” or holding friendly competitions within departments.

Conference Support

• Faculty proposed offering awards or stipends that could fund travel to OER-related conferences, such as the national Open Education Conference or Open Texas Conference.
• OER Coordinator confirmed that UTSA’s OER grant program already allows for conference presentations as part of its funding options.

Encouraging Broader Participation

• Recognizing OER efforts could serve as an incentive for more faculty to get involved, especially if tied to professional development opportunities.

Recognition in Faculty Evaluation

• There was a suggestion to include OER work as a line item in Digital Measures (UTSA’s faculty activity reporting system).
• Some proposed that OER adoption and development be considered in promotion and tenure evaluations to encourage broader faculty participation.
• • •  

Equity Concerns

• A concern was raised that recognition tied to OER could be unfair in disciplines where high-quality OER materials are scarce or unavailable, potentially disadvantaging faculty in those areas.

Clarification on Textbook Challenges

• The conversation transitioned to discussing challenges with adopting traditional (print or digital) textbooks, distinguishing them from OER-specific issues.

What are some challenges that you have had adopting textbooks overall in your courses?

Faculty members discussed the challenges of adopting traditional (non-OER) textbooks in their courses, particularly in architecture and healthcare design:

Interdisciplinary Gaps

One instructor noted the difficulty of finding a single textbook that covers the interdisciplinary nature of healthcare design, which spans architecture, psychology, public health, and policy. As a result, they pull content from multiple expensive books but avoid requiring students to purchase them.

Lack of Suitable Options

Another faculty member mentioned that despite searching, they haven’t found a textbook that fully meets their course needs. The one they currently use feels outdated.

Reading Level and Visual Quality

• A key challenge is finding textbooks that match students’ reading levels while also offering high-quality visuals, especially color images, which are important in architecture but increase costs.

Cost and Value

• While textbook prices can be high, one instructor pointed out that using a single book across multiple required courses can make the cost more justifiable. However, not all disciplines or courses have that flexibility.

What are some challenges that you have had adopting OER in your courses?

Faculty members discussed the challenges of adopting OER (Open Educational Resources) in their courses:

Limited Experience

Some participants noted they haven’t adopted OER yet but are interested in learning from others’ experiences.

Technical Barriers

One instructor mentioned using online modules and library-linked videos, but noted that students face access issues when off-campus due to login requirements.

Time and Relevance

• A recurring challenge is the time required to search for, review, and align OER materials with course content.
• Ensuring the materials are relevant—especially for architecture—was highlighted as a significant concern.

What are some ways UTSA can better support UTSA student awareness of required textbooks prior to Class Day One?

Faculty Strategies

• One instructor sends announcements two weeks and one week before the semester starts, including textbook details and purchase links, to encourage early preparation—especially important in large enrollment courses.
• Another faculty member sends a detailed email the day before class starts to prompt students to order materials in time.
• Some instructors embed textbook information directly into Canvas and use tools like Simple Syllabus, which can display book covers and link to the UTSA library.

Challenges and Observations

• Students often delay purchasing textbooks, even weeks into the semester.
• Some faculty avoid requiring textbooks due to cost concerns and instead provide materials directly.
• Canvas course design can influence how and when students access textbook information, especially in asynchronous courses with module-based progression.

What are some ways UTSA can better support textbook affordability for UTSA students?

Affordability Challenges

• Faculty acknowledged that while OER is a strong solution, it’s not always feasible due to content availability or accessibility needs (e.g., students who require printed materials).
• Some instructors noted that print textbooks can be expensive, especially in specialized fields like healthcare design

Library Support

• Faculty have requested the library to purchase textbooks and place them on reserve, but noted limitations such as only one copy being available and the risk of books disappearing.
• A suggestion was made for the library to stock multiple copies for high-enrollment or multi-section courses.

New Opportunity

One faculty member shared that the downtown campus library may now have a way to provide students with free access to e-textbooks—something not previously available. They plan to follow up on this promising development.

Prior to today, were you aware of UTSA’s Free Textbook and Low-Cost Textbook filters, shown below?

Most of the faculty were not aware of the filters.

Prior to today, how familiar were you with the UTSA OER reporting process?

Two of the faculty were aware of the reporting process; the others were not.

Are there any other experiences, successes, challenges, or resources related to textbooks or OER that you’d like to share?

• One faculty member expressed interest in OER but noted a lack of existing materials in their field. They acknowledged that it might fall to professionals like themselves to begin creating such resources. They emphasized the importance of textbook affordability, especially for students who work while studying, but also stressed that any OER used must meet the quality standards of traditional textbooks and be authored by experts in the field.
• Another faculty member echoed these sentiments, highlighting how education has evolved post-pandemic and the need for course materials to adapt accordingly. They support the idea of OER to reduce student costs but are still searching for the right fit—or may consider creating one if it doesn’t exist.
• A final comment noted that students are often visibly pleased when told there’s no required textbook, as all necessary materials are freely accessible.