It's no surprise that students, as the primary beneficiaries of the cost-savings and improved learning outcomes that result from OER adoption, have been one of the strongest voices in the national OER movement.
U.S. PIRG, the federation of state public research interest groups, sponsors the Make Textbooks Affordable campaign, part of their broader effort to make education generally more affordable and accessible for everyone. U.S. PIRG and the state PIRGs have published multiple reports relating to OER and textbook affordability, the most recent being Open 101: An Action Plan for Affordable Textbooks, released in January 2018.
Locally, students in Maryland have also been at the forefront of the OER movement. In fact, the USM Student Council was an initial advocate and partner in the Maryland Open Source Textbook (M.O.S.T.) initiative. When it advocated for this initiative, the USM Student Council said it should benefit students at all Maryland institutions of higher education, not just those attending the USM campuses. Since spring 2014, M.O.S.T. has saved more than $1.6 million in textbook costs for students at public community colleges and 4-year colleges and universities across the state.
To further support and advance these efforts, students can contact the USM Student Council or volunteer with Student PIRGs.
Image by The user previously known as QQQQQQ. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
