Collin College is now part of the Institutional Partner Program for Rice University’s educational technology initiative, OpenStax. The free program provides higher education institutions with open educational resources (OER) to support their mission of improving educational access and learning for everyone.
OpenStax is an online tool that publishes high-quality, peer-reviewed, openly licensed college textbooks that are completely free for students of partners. Along with textbooks, they’ve developed a low-cost, researched-based courseware that gives students educational tools such as lecture slides, secure test banks, and other support materials to be successful in the classroom.
“We believe in educational achievement here at Collin College,” said Collin College Senior Vice President Dr. Abe Johnson. “We are aware that the high cost of textbooks can incur hurdles for our students, and OpenStax is a great asset we are excited to partner with.”
Collin College professors, faculty, and staff are currently developing opportunities to offer and widen OER. Students will be notified of courses that offer OER in upcoming course options.
“We’re always looking to explore more OER opportunities; this is just one of many we hope to be a part of,” Dr. Mark Smith, McKinney Campus provost and Collin College OER committee member said.
“I think our partnership with OpenStax will prove beneficial for both our students, and educators who care deeply about offering the highest quality of education. We want to provide any resources available to help our students get to the finish line.”
After a lengthy selection process, Collin College was named a partner in October 2022. OpenStax representatives will visit the college in the upcoming spring semester and offer faculty and staff ways to implement OpenStax resources in class for student success.
To learn more about OER opportunities and the OpenStax Institutional Partner Program, visit www.openstax.org.
Collin College serves more than 57,000 credit and continuing education students annually and offers more than 100 degrees and certificates, including a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), a Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) in Cybersecurity, and a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Construction Management. The only public college based in Collin County, Collin College is a partner to business, government, and industry, providing customized training and workforce development. For more information, visit www.collin.edu.
