Exploring Student Perceptions and the Potential Impact of OER in a Textbook Rental Environment

Southeast Missouri State University provides a textbook rental service to undergraduates for $35 per course. In 2014, the university started Open Educational Resources (OER) faculty training. In 2020, an OER initiative was launched to provide additional faculty support and faculty were surveyed about OER. Students, however, had not been asked their thoughts on textbooks or OER. Through an internal grant in 2023, 422 undergraduate students responded to a survey about textbook perceptions, course selection criteria, and engagement with assigned reading materials. Of the surveyed students who volunteered to participate in the focus groups, 15 were randomly selected. Student responses gathered through the survey and focus group results were correlated with student demographic data. Student responses identified textbook preferences and the potential impact of OER use on student behaviors. This information has possible application in developing OER campus initiatives, understanding students’ perceptions of OER and instructional materials, and strengthening existing OER programs. In addition, student responses suggest that OER could address some of the challenges facing higher education.