Why Do I Author OER?

 Why do I author OER? Let me count the ways.

1. Affordability. I'm a fan of the old Cedarburg Flea Market. Once a week the town of Cedarburg Wisconsin hosted this massive flea market. Folks from all over would bring their treasures and junk to sell. My grandpa Kubicki and Uncle Tony frequently sold stuff there like beer cans and comic books that Tony collected. Upon their return, they would regale me with stories of all the cheap stuff they bought from the guys there. 

So when, in 2006, I was told that I had to use a $125 reader I said to myself "Self, I bet I can come up with a reader from sources on the internet." Challenge accepted! And I did. I didn't know what OER was or even if OER was a thing in 2006. 

Fast forward to 2011 when I started writing what would become my first shot at a textbook. Eventually, the book came (is coming) together and I am saving students the cost of having to shell out x amount of cash. 

Students told me that they frequently are forced to buy textbooks that they do not completely use. And so they applaud my efforts to provide them the opportunity to use that money on other things such as food, gas, and utilities as reported to me. The affordability argument is low-hanging fruit. 

2. Inclusion. Authoring this OER US history textbook has brought me closer to my students. They give me feedback on what they like and dislike and why, what works for them and why. So I have stepped off the traditional textbook path and have included people and events that my students report they like, they want to read more about. 

And, my students provide content for the book so this is an example of ultimate inclusion! My students research and write about what most interests them. So sometimes we have different views of the same event -contested history.

3. Diversity. Because of student content and because I change my lectures as my students voice their interests, I've found there becomes a greater diversity to the classroom, which includes what finds its way into our OER textbook. 

4. Ownership. Students pride themselves on the assignments and using the textbook. One of the goals of every assignment is to make it into the book. Most do not but even those who do not still feel the pride of ownership through their past classmates who have because they are excited about reading a textbook that includes work from their own peer group. 

5. Accessibility. The book is on a platform that works well with smartphones. I did this purposefully because for so many of my students their smartphone is their device of choice to read materials. The book also has a print option for those who want a traditional reading experience. 

6. Resource. The textbook, being a bit over 1,000 pages and counting, is a resource. The book is fully cited so students can go to the citations for further research ideas. There are hyperlinks thoughout the book. Once the 2nd edition is complete (as of this writing I have 6 more chapters to write) I will go back to chapter 1 and insert a "For Further Reading" section as well as a list o dedicated links. 

I am sure there are other reasons to author an OER textbook. These are just a few that immediately popped into my head. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.