The following is a list of instructors who have received Course Affordability Initiative grants.
Profs. Abedin and Corvino had previously taught their sections of this course with textbooks that they each felt did not organize topics for the course well and were inadequate in presenting the linear algebra components. They are replacing these respective texts with a set of shared notes, examples, and exercises/homework problems/quizzes that are organized in a modular fashion that complements their teaching needs and that present the concepts in a way that is geared towards Lafayette students. Semester savings, based on 85 students (across 4 sections) and $159 per textbook (based on an average of the costs of the books that Profs. Abedin and Corvino previously taught with) : $13,515
Following on his successful investigation grant, Prof. Biener will work to implement a new OER microenomics book into his course. The grant will allow him to rework course notes, homeworks, and tests and to integrate modules from the book into the Moodle page for his course. Semester savings, based on 30 students and $100 per textbook: $3,000
Prof. Biener was already using an OER text to teach the healthcare components, but wanted to make the course zero cost to students by finding a freely available text to teach the economic principles as well. He will use the investigation grant to research alternatives to the traditional microeconomics book he had been using.
Prof. de Toledo Piza designed this course with affordability for students in mind. For the primary text he chose an e-book that the Library was able to purchase, and is supplementing this with readings from other library materials. Semester savings, based on 18 students and $100 per textbook: $1,800
Professors Schettino and Lopez worked together to design an interactive 3D model and Virtual Reality (VR) walkthrough of the rat brain. The monochromatic and color models allows students to analyze the brain at different scales and angles and manipulate the components of the brain in various colors and transparencies, to easily explore how different parts of the brain are connected and work together. The models are already being used in neuroanatomy labs at Lafayette, and Prof. Schettino is currently testing the VR simulation with students. Both models are published Open and are freely accessible on the web.
Prof. Smith is interested in replacing the textbook currently used in this course that typically has 60-70 students across two sections each year. She plans to evaluate a variety of OERs and other resources, and may ultimately develop some of her own materials to use in the course.
This course introduces students to data analysis in the social sciences, primarily using the R programming language. Prof. Chan will be researching potential alternatives to the text she has previously used to teach students how to use R for social science research.
Prof. Ruebeck is reworking this introductory course to move away from the traditional expensive text he previously used. Instead he will be adopting the OER textbook from CORE Econ. This intro-level textbook covers topics a diverse range of perspectives and examples and includes a suite of supplementary materials such as exercises, slides, figures, videos, and glossaries. Semester savings, based on 35 students and $110 per textbook: $3,850
By centering these courses around artist books owned by the Libraries, and supplementing these books with Library-subscribed journal articles and book chapters plus freely available writings, images, and videos online, Prof. You was able to fully remove text-related costs for these courses. Semester savings for: Art 114, based on 30 students (15/section) and $70 per textbook: $2,100; Art 218, based on 15 students and $81 per textbook: $1,215
Prof. Zamcheck is replacing the textbooks previously used in these intro-level music classes with a variety of materials such as articles from Libaries-subscribed and Open Access journals and freely available articles and videos. This will not only save students money but will diversify the readings, as this allows Prof. Zamcheck to choose sources and examples that better encapsulate a fully global vision of courses that are often dominated by a Euro-centric view. Semester savings for: Music 102, based on 20 students and $120 per textbook: $2,400; Music 103, based on 37 students and $112 per textbook: $4,144
Prof. Stafford is revamping Advanced Spanish by replacing the previous online subscription text and materials with a custom-built Moodle site that pulls in freely available readings and videos that will enable her to zero out student costs. In addition, Prof. Stafford will work with a student assistant (also funded by the Initiative) to host this course on a WordPress site published Open under a Creative Commons license, so that other educators can build off of her work. Semester savings, based on 25 students and $120 per textbook: $3,000
This newly offered course is built with student savings in mind. While no truly Open or free text was satisfactory to cover the material, Prof. van Horn wanted to avoid assigning a $100 traditional textbook. He identified two ebooks that the Libraries were able to license at a reasonable one-time cost, ensuring that students would not have to pay anything to access the material. Semester savings, based on 30 students and $100 per textbook: $3,000
Based on her previous work with an Investigation grant, Prof. Armstrong will be replacing the book previously used in the intro-level Environmental Science course with a variety of sources such as library-subscribed journal articles, newspaper /magazine articles, and other freely available readings online, as well as videos and other supplementary materials. Semester savings, based on 33 students and $61 per textbook: $2,013
Prof. Tao will replace the previous $200 textbook for this course on the computational approaches to artificial intelligence with a freely-available online textbook that covers all relevant topics. Semester savings, based on 20 students and $200 per textbook: $4,000
Students will read articles from library-subscribed journals in place of buying a theory textbook and 2-3 ethnographies. These articles were identified with the aid of an OER investigation grant, and chosen for their ability to simultaneously establish theoretical concepts and provide examples of ethnographic fieldwork. Estimated savings per semester, based on 60-70 students and $145 for one text and 2 ethnographies: $9,425
Prof. Shieber will be authoring a chapter on the Sociology of Science for a forthcoming Open textbook on The Philosophy of Science. The textbook will be one in a series published by the Rebus Initiative and designed for introductory philosophy courses. In addition to the benefits to the larger academic community, Prof. Shieber intends to assign this chapter, and possibly others from the textbook, in future courses at Lafayette.
Prof. Armstrong will be researching potential replacements for the current text used in the main intro course for Environmental Science/Studies majors and minors. As this is a highly interdisciplinary course, she will be evaluating a large range of OERs.
Building off of her investigation grant research, Prof. Fischer-Hoffman will remove an assigned text from her course and supplement with freely available book chapters and online guides and library subscribed journal articles. Semester savings, based on 35 students and $42 per textbook: $1,470
In assessment of previous courses, students reported that they were not referring to the assigned textbook. Prof. Soh decided to simply have students consult the copious notes she had compiled over time and direct them to reference material already held in the library when they needed to consult tables and figures. Semester savings, based on 31 students and a $160 textbook: $4,960
Prof. Kelly will be researching potential options for an OER textbook. The Spring 2019 iteration of the course is being taught without a textbook due to cost, but an alternative freely-available textbook would open up class time for more discussion and less lecture.
Seven professors in the Chemistry department will spend the Spring vetting several alternatives to the textbook currently required in all sections of General Chemistry. The current book is already quite expensive, and a new edition, which will certainly be even more costly, is slated for released in the fall.
During the 2018-19 winter break, FLL faculty attended an OER workshop. This half-day session included 3 components: introduction to OER and the benefits to students and faculty; hands-on lab time to identify potential OER materials, followed by sharing results; and an overview of how an OER text was used for an Italian course at Muhlenberg College.
SPSS is the standard statistical analysis program for Psychology, but is expensive (both in terms of site licenses for college-owned computers and individual licenses for students), outdated, and difficult for undergraduates to learn. Prof. Nees will teach students to perform analyses using JASP, an open-source statistical analysis software program that has a gentler learning curve and is more up-to-date. Semester savings, based on 17 students and a $40 individual license: $680. In addition, if this pilot is successful, the college may be able to save tens of thousands of dollars by moving away from a full site-license subscription to SPSS. This grant was awarded in conjunction with Prof. Bell’s investigation grant, detailed below.
Prof. Bell will research alternatives to several expensive texts currently assigned in PSYCH 203, including a standard text on research methods, the APA style manual, and an SPSS guide for weekly lab assignments. This grant was awarded in conjunction with Prof. Nees’ implementation grant, detailed above.
This grant resulted in the adoption of an OER text in place of 3 different texts for not only PSYC 203 but also, when Prof. Bell taught the course, PSYC 235, 327, and 490. Semester savings, based on a combined $398 for the 3 texts: PSYC 235 (~36 students) – $14,328; PSYC 327 (~20 students) – $15,920; PSYC 490 (~14 students) – $11,144
Prof. Fischer will research potential alternatives to the two assigned texts for the IA research methods course. In addition to textbook alternatives, she will also be looking at other freely-available materials such as online guides/tutorials, videos, and library-subscribed content.