OER and Student Success 

In a 2019 Study, Virginia Clinton and Shafiq Khan found that student withdrawal rates were lower for classes that used open textbooks than they were in classes that used commercial textbooks. The study also found that there were no "reliable differences in learning performance between students in courses with open textbooks compared with students in courses with commercial textbooks." 

Virginia Clinton and Shafiq Khan, 2019, “Efficacy of Open Textbook Adoption on Learning Performance and Course Withdrawal Rates: A Meta-Analysis,” AERA Open 5(3), retrieved https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1229798.pdf  (Link opens in a new window)

In their study about OER and Student Success Metrics, Nicholas B. Colvard, C. Edward Watson, and Hyojin Park found that students enrolled in classes that used OER achieved higher grades than students enrolled in classes that did not use OER.  They also analyzed the impact that using OER had on students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and underserved populations and found that it narrowed the "gap in academic performance" and the decreased rate of D and F grades, withdrawals from courses.  They concluded in their study that "research suggests that OER is an equity strategy for higher education." 

Colvard, Watson, and Park, 2018, “The Impact of Educational Resources on Various Student Success Metrics,” International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 30(2), retrieved https://login.proxy.tamuc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=130939887&site=ehost-live  (Link opens in a new window)

Additional reading related to OER and Student Success: 

Links opens in a new window.

Fischer, Hilton, Robinson, et al., 2015, “A Multi-Institutional Study of the Impact of Open Textbook Adoption on the Learning Outcomes of Post-Secondary Students.” Journal of Computing in Higher Education 27(3), retrieved http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12528-015-9101-x

Hilton, (2020), "Open Educational Resources, Student Efficacy, and User Perceptions: A Synthesis of Research Published Between 2015 and 2018," Educational Technology, Research and Development, 68(3), 853-876. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11423-019-09700-4

Jenkins, Hannans, Sanchez, and Leafstedt, "Textbook Affordability and Student Success for Historically Underserved Populations at CSUCI,"  retrieved https://www.csuci.edu/tli/openci/openci-white-paper.pdf

Magro and Tabaei, (2020), "Results from a Psychology OER pilot program: faculty and student perceptions, cost savings, and academic outcomes". Open Praxis, 12(1), 83-99. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.12.1.1007