Academic Freedom and Open Educational Resources: A Case for Textbook Affordability

Abstract

This chapter focuses on a university case that interprets the variability of academic freedom in terms of faculty’s textbook selection and the need for students’ textbook affordability. Faculty members are participants in a collective bargaining unit and students are members of the student government organization in a state university system. The faculty contract outlines tenets of academic freedom that delineate faculty selection of curriculum (textbooks), instruction, and assessment practices. This chapter highlights the nuances of faculty rights in the name of academic freedom and the students’ need for more affordable textbooks which includes open educational resource materials. In this case, the administration, faculty association, and the student government worked together to create a set of conditions for a more affordable textbook selection. This collaborative process is explored and explained as a set of practices that other colleges and universities can replicate at their institutions.

Citation

Watson, D.C. and Borowske, K. (2021), "Academic Freedom and Open Educational Resources: A Case for Textbook Affordability", Ceglie, R. and Thompson, S. (Ed.) Academic Freedom: Autonomy, Challenges and Conformation, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 81-95. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83909-882-620211006