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Assessing the OER & Textbook Experience at UTSA
Computer Access
Across all student classifications at UTSA, the vast majority have reported having access to a reliable laptop or computer, with only a small percentage indicating they did not. This shows that the student population has a sustained level of access to technology needed to complete their course requirements.
| Student Level | Yes (Has Laptop/Computer) | No (Does Not Have Laptop/computer) |
|---|---|---|
|
Freshman |
759 (96%) | 29 (4%) |
| Sophomore | 601 (97%) | 16 (3%) |
| Junior | 870 (97%) | 30 (3%) |
| Senior | 901 (96%) | 35 (4%) |
| Graduate | 377 (97%) | 13 (3%) |
The vast majority of UTSA freshmen reported having access to a reliable laptop or computer, while only a small percentage indicated they did not.
- 96% (759 students) have access to a laptop or computer
- 4% (29 students) do not have access to a laptop or computer
Like the freshman class, a majority of UTSA sophomores reported having access to a reliable laptop or computer, while a small percentage indicated they did not.
- 97% (601 students) have access to a laptop or computer
- 3% (16 students) do not have access to a laptop or computer
The junior cohort shares the same percentage rates as the sophomore class with the vast majority having access to a laptop or computer.
- 97% (870 students) have access to a laptop or computer
- 3% (30 students) do not have access to a laptop or computer
The senior class dips down a percentage point from the junior and sophomore classes, but still maintains the majority of students having access to a laptop or computer.
- 96% (901 students) have access to a laptop or computer
- 4% (35 students) do not have access to a laptop or computer
Consistent with the underclassmen, the graduate student cohort maintain a similar majority as far as students having access to reliable computers and laptops.
- 97% (377 students) have access to a laptop or computer
- 3% (13 students) do not have access to a laptop or computer
Internet Access
Overall, internet access among UTSA students reveals strong similarities across all classifications, with nearly all students reporting reliable connectivity at their place of residence. What can be noted from this question is that from across all groups, freshman have the highest percentage of students not having reliable internet connectivity.
| Student Level | Yes (Has reliable Internet) | No (Does Not Have Reliable Internet) |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman | 754 (96%) | 34 (4%) |
| Sophomore | 602 (98% | 15 (2%) |
| Junior | 877 (97%) | 23 (3%) |
| Senior | 912 (97%) | 24 (3%) |
| Graduate | 382 (98%) | 8 (2%) |
Among freshman respondents, a majority have access to reliable internet at their place of residence with only four percent do not. This minority may seem small, but in comparison with the other years it is the largest percentage of students without reliable internet access at their places of residence.
- 96% (754 students) have access to reliable internet
- 4% (34 students) do not have access to reliable internet
Among sophomore respondents, a majority have access to reliable internet at their place of residence with only two percent do not. This in a slight increase from the freshman population.
- 98% (602 students) have access to reliable internet
- 2% (15 students) do not have access to reliable internet
Among junior respondents, a majority have access to reliable internet at their place of residence with only three percent do not. This suggests that the junior population is consistent with their freshman and sophomore peers when it comes to reliable internet.
- 97% (877 students) have access to reliable internet
- 3% (23 students) do not have access to reliable internet
Among senior respondents, a majority have access to reliable internet at their place of residence with only three percent do not. This continues to remain consistent among undergraduates at UTSA.
- 97% (922 students) have access to reliable internet
- 3% (24 students) do not have access to reliable internet
Among graduate respondents, a majority have access to reliable internet at their place of residence with only two percent of the respondents not having reliable internet. While a smaller number of respondents compared to their undergraduate peers, the percentage of students without reliable internet access is consistent.
- 98% (382 students) have access to reliable internet
- 2% (8 students) do not have access to reliable internet
Finding Textbooks
Across all UTSA student classifications, when it comes to getting information on required textbooks, half or over half of students lean toward either waiting for the first of class or using UTSA Bluebook/Simple Syllabus. This leaves the remainder of students, in almost equal percentages, using class schedules, myUTSA, or the campus bookstore to get their textbook information. What can be seen from this data, that as student go through their years at UTSA, the higher the classification the more they rely on getting their information on their first day of class.
| Student Level | Class Schedules | myUTSA | Rowdy Campus Bookstore | UTSA Bluebook/Simple Syllabus | Wait till the first day of Classes | Somewhere Else |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Freshman |
223 (15%) | 258 (17%) | 214 (14%) | 444 (30%) | 332 (22%) | 29 (2%) |
| Sophomore | 124 (15%) | 150 (13%) | 142 (13%) | 342 (30%) | 313 (28%) | 14 (1%) |
| Junior | 225 (13%) | 200 (12%) | 200 (12%) | 538 (32 %) | 476 (28%) | 45 (3%) |
| Senior | 251 (15%) | 167 (10%) | 238 (14%) | 515 (30%) | 512 (30%) | 46 (3%) |
| Graduate | 100 (14%) | 118 (17%) | 105 (15%) | 190 (27%) | 168 (23%) | 34 (5%) |
In general, UTSA freshmen rely on a variety of ways to get their textbook information, but most of them search before the first day of classes such as class schedules, or Simple Syllabus.
- 30% (444 students) use UTSA Bluebook/Simple Syllabus
- 22% (332 students) wait until the first day of class to learn about required textbooks
- 17% (258 students) check myUTSA
- 15% (223 students) visit the Rowdy Campus Bookstore
- 14% (214 students) refer to their Class Schedules
- 2% (29 students) look somewhere else and provided other sources
In general, UTSA sophmore rely on a variety of ways to get their textbook information. What is notable is that almost a quarter of sophmores wait until the first day of classes to get their textbook information.
- 30% (342 students) use UTSA Bluebook/Simple Syllabus
- 28% (213 students) wait until the first day of class to learn about required textbooks
- 15% (174 students) refer to their Class Schedules
- 13% (150 students) check myUTSA
- 13% (142 students) visit the Rowdy Campus Bookstore
- 1% (14 students) look somewhere else and provided other sources
In general, UTSA juniors align closer to their sophomore peers in regards to waiting for the first day of classes to learn about what textbooks they need for classes.
- 32% (538 students) use UTSA Bluebook/Simple Syllabus
- 28% (476 students) wait until the first day of class to learn about required textbooks
- 13% (225 students) refer to their Class Schedules
- 12% (200 students) check myUTSA
- 12% (200 students) visit the Rowdy Campus Bookstore
- 3% (45 students) look somewhere else and provided other sources
In general, UTSA seniors use the UTSA Bluebook/Simple Syllabus platform or wait till the first day of classes to get their textbook information. The highest percentage of students waiting until the first day of classes to get their textbook information is the senior cohort.
- 30% (515 students) use UTSA Bluebook/Simple Syllabus
- 30% (512 students) wait until the first day of class to learn about required textbooks
- 15% (251 students) refer to their Class Schedules
- 14% (238 students) visit the Rowdy Campus Bookstore
- 10% (167 students) check myUTSA
- 3% (46 students) look somewhere else and provided other sources
UTSA graduate students typically either wait until the first day of class to get their textbook information or use the UTSA Bluebook/Simple Syllabus platform with the other platforms falling behind. This is mostly consistent with the other student classifications.
- 27% (190 students) use UTSA Bluebook/Simple Syllabus
- 23% (168 students) wait until the first day of class to learn about required textbooks
- 17% (118 students) check myUTSA
- 15% (105 students) visit the Rowdy Campus Bookstore
- 14% (100 students) refer to their Class Schedules
- 5% (34 students) look somewhere else and provided other sources
Defining Low-Cost
Across all UTSA student classifications, there is a consistent perception that textbooks under the $50 price point are considered "low cost." These two categories consist of about two thirds of the student population in each classification. What can be noted from this data, is that there are fewer student who define free textbooks as "low cost" with the graduate classification of students viewing free textbooks as "low cost" at a higher percentage than the other classifications. Additionally, a higher percentage of the graduate classification defined "low cost" at $1-25 than the other classifications.
| Student Level | $0 | $1-25 | $26-50 | $51-75 | Another Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshman | 76 (10%) | 280 (36%) | 301 (38%) | 95 (12%) | 31 (4%) |
| Sophomore | 81 (13%) | 207 (34%) | 216 (35%) | 78 (13%) | 34 (6%) |
| Junior | 116 (13%) | 275 (31%) | 320 (36%) | 123 (14%) | 61 (7%) |
| Senior | 115 (12%) | 314 (34%) | 348 (37%) | 109 (12%) | 48 (5%) |
| Graduate | 55 (14%) | 149 (38%) | 124 (32%) | 43 (11%) | 18 (5%) |
Freshmen at UTSA generally see that anything under fifty dollars would be considered "low cost" and only 10% selecting free textbooks as low cost.
- 38% (301 students) define "low cost" as $26-50
- 36% (280 students) define "low cost" as $1-25
- 12% (95 students) define "low cost" as $51-75
- 10% (76 students) define "low cost" as $0 (free)
- 4% (31 students) define "low cost" as another amount
Sophomore studetns at UTSA generally see that anything under fifty dollars would be considered "low cost" and around 13% selecting free textbooks as low cost.
- 35% (216 students) define "low cost" as $26-50
- 34% (207 students) define "low cost" as $1-25
- 13% (78 students) define "low cost" as $51-75
- 13% (81 students) define "low cost" as $0 (free)
- 6% (34 students) define "low cost" as some other amount
Junior students at UTSA generally see that anything under fifty dollars would be considered "low cost" with up to 13% selecting free textbooks as low cost.
- 36% (320 students) define "low cost" as $26-50
- 31% (275 students) define "low cost" as $1-25
- 14% (123 students) define "low cost" as $51-75
- 13% (116 students) define "low cost" as $0 (free)
- 7% (61 students) define "low cost" as some other amount
The senior students at UTSA remain consistent with their underclassman peers and generally see that anything under fifty dollars would be considered "low cost" with 12% selecting free textbooks as low cost.
- 37% (348 students) define "low cost" as $26-50
- 34% (314 students) define "low cost" as $1-25
- 12% (109 students) define "low cost" as $51-75
- 12% (115 students) define "low cost" as $0 (free)
- 5% (48 students) define "low cost" as some other amount
The graduate group broke away from the consistency of the underclassman with the majority defining low cost in the $1-25 range, as well as the $0 (free) category jumping a few percentage points as opposed to the other groups.
- 38% (149 students) define "low cost" as $1-25
- 32% (124 students) define "low cost" as $26-50
- 14% (55 students) define "low cost" as $0 (free)
- 11% (43 students) define "low cost" as $51-75
- 5% (18 students) define "low cost" as some other amount
OER Familiarity
The majority of the student population at UTSA is unfamiliar with open educational resources, however, this category shows a steady increase of awareness with each passing academic year. The gradual increase in awareness of OER is encouraging, but it could also suggest that more effort can be put toward making freshman and sophomores more familiar with classes and resources that are free or low cost.
| Student Level | Yes, Familiar with OER | No, Not Familiar with OER |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman | 74 (10%) | 701 (90%) |
| Sophomore | 71 (12%) | 545 (88%) |
| Junior | 139 (16%) | 755 (84%) |
| Senior | 161 (17%) | 771 (83%) |
| Graduate | 106 (27%) | 282 (73%) |
In general, before taking the survey, freshman students at UTSA did not know about or heard of open educational resources.
- 90% (701 students) has heard of OER
- 10% (74 students) has not heard of OER
Sophomores have an increase in familiarity with open educational resources than their freshman peers, with a larger amount having heard of the term before this survey.
- 88% (545 students) has heard of OER
- 12% (71 students) has not heard of OER
Steadily moving toward more awareness, more junior students of UTSA reported having heard of OER before taking this survey, however the majority still reported not having heard of the term.
- 84% (755 students) has heard of OER
- 16% (139 students) has not heard of OER
The senior classification of UTSA students have an increase in open educational resources awareness before this survey. This indicates that students become more familiar with OER or classes that use OER as they move from year to year.
- 83% (771 students) has heard of OER
- 17% (161 students) has not heard of OER
Out of all the classifications at UTSA, the graduate classification has the most familiarity with open educational resources with over a quarter reporting that they were familiar of the term before taking the survey.
- 73% (282 students) has heard of OER
- 27% (106 students) has not heard of OER
Ease of Finding OER Courses
When provided a step by step guide to finding courses with OER in the course scheduler, the majority of students across all classifications reported that the courses were very easy to find or somewhat easy to find. Overall, few students found the steps to finding OER courses as difficult or somewhat difficult to find. Out of all the classifications, the graduate class has the higher percentage points among the very easy to find category.
| Student Level | Very Easy to Find |
Somewhat Easy to Find |
Neutral | Somewhat Difficult to Find | Very Difficult to Find |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freshman | 293 (39%) | 284 (38%) | 107 (14%) | 48 (6%) | 16 (2%) |
| Sophomore | 232 (39%) | 238 (40%) | 78 (13%) | 45 (7%) | 9 (1%) |
| Junior | 330 (38%) | 359 (41%) | 118 (13%) | 58 (7%) | 13 (1%) |
| Senior | 353 (39%) | 336 (37%) | 130 (14%) | 67 (7%) | 28 (3%) |
| Graduate | 162 (42%) | 147 (38%) | 42 (11%) | 26 (7%) | 9 (2%) |
When being shown the steps to find courses with low cost or free textbooks, freshmen at UTSA found that finding the courses that use OER or Low Cost textbooks were generally very easy or somewhat easy to find. Only a small number determined that the courses were somewhat difficult or very difficult to find.
- 39% (293 students) very easy to find
- 38% (284 students) somewhat easy to find
- 14% (107 students) neutral
- 6% (48 students) somewhat difficult to find
- 2% (16 students) very difficult to find
When being shown the steps to find courses with low cost or free textbooks, Sophomores at UTSA found that finding the courses that use OER or Low Cost textbooks were generally very easy or somewhat easy to find. Very few selected the very difficult to find category.
- 40% (238 students) somewhat easy to find
- 39% (232 students) very easy to find
- 13% (78 students) neutral
- 7% (45 students) somewhat difficult to find
- 1% (9 students) very difficult to find
When being shown the steps to find courses with low cost or free textbooks, juniors at UTSA are consistent with the sophomore class and found that finding the courses that use OER or low lost textbooks were generally very easy or somewhat easy to find.
- 41% (359 students) somewhat easy to find
- 38% (330 students) very easy to find
- 13% (118 students) neutral
- 7% (58 students) somewhat difficult to find
- 1% (13 students) very difficult to find
When being shown the steps to find courses with low cost or free textbooks, UTSA seniors found that finding the courses that use OER or low lost textbooks were generally very easy or somewhat easy to find. However, this classification had the highest percentage of students who selected OEr courses were very difficult to find.
- 39% (353 students) very easy to find
- 37% (336 students) somewhat easy to find
- 14% (130 students) neutral
- 7% (67 students) somewhat difficult to find
- 3% (28 students) very difficult to find
When being shown the steps to find courses with low cost or free textbooks, graduate students at UTSA found that finding the courses that use OER or low lost textbooks were generally very easy or somewhat easy to find. The graduate classification had the highest percentage of students who selected the very easy to find category.
- 42% (162 students) very easy to find
- 37% (147 students) somewhat easy to find
- 11% (42 students) neutral
- 7% (26 students) somewhat difficult to find
- 2% (9 students) very difficult to find
Awareness of OER Courses
In general, the majority of UTSA students across all classifications did not know how to find courses that use OER or are low cost. Graduate students, compared to the other classifications, had a higher awareness level of finding OER courses before taking this survey, but not by much. All classifications are consistent with each other as far as knowing how to find OER courses available to them.
| Student Level | Yes, I Knew How to Find OER Courses | No, I Did Not Know How to Find OER Courses |
|---|---|---|
| Freshman | 43 (6%) | 708 (94%) |
| Sophomore | 27 (4%) | 576 (96%) |
| Junior | 44 (5%) | 834 (95%) |
| Senior | 58 (6%) | 856 (94%) |
| Graduate | 27 (7%) | 359 (93%) |
Before taking this survey, a majority of UTSA freshman did not know how to find courses with free or low cost textbooks or they were not aware that they were available to them.
- 94% (708 students) did not know how to find OER courses
- 6% (43 students) did know how to find OER courses
Before taking this survey, many UTSA sophomores did not know how to find courses with free or low cost textbooks, and the data shows that thy were even less aware than their freshmen peers.
- 96% (576 students) did not know how to find OER courses
- 4% (27 students) did know how to find OER courses
Before taking this survey, most UTSA juniors did not know how to find courses with free or low cost textbooks, closely mirroring their sophomore peers.
- 95% (834 students) did not know how to find OER courses
- 5% (44 students) did know how to find OER courses
Before taking this survey, the majority of UTSA seniors did not know how to find courses with free or low cost textbooks, but more seniors knew how to find OER courses than their sophomore or junior peers.
- 94% (856 students) did not know how to find OER courses
- 6% (58 students) did know how to find OER courses
Before taking this survey, UTSA graduates generally did not know how to find courses with free or low cost textbook, but out of all the other classifications they were the classification that had the most awareness of finding OER courses.
- 93% (359 students) did not know how to find OER courses
- 7% (27 students) did know how to find OER courses
