Providing,students easy access to quality, low or no cost textbooks makes the learning experience for our students much more affordable and AL$ has supported departments in the past two years to do it via the Department Award. The top three departments with the largest number of new adoptions of open source textbooks or other low/no cost options -- that save at least 30% off the previously used textbooks -- and the top three departments with the highest percentage of Zero Cost Course Materials and Low Cost Course Materials designations received AL$ annual funds which enable them to further make textbooks more affordable. Below are some highlights from department awardees.
Child and Adolescent Development
Please describe how the awarded money has helped your students save money on course materials. It could be student stipends, faculty stipends, or other ways of support we mentioned before, but make sure to include specific courses and cost savings for courses that are adopting or will be adopting new open educational resources if applicable.
The AL$ Award has allowed the department to invest time and resources in expanding our zero-cost text options. Specifically, we created a faculty workgroup that diligently investigated, examined, and selected a zero-cost text for one of the new core courses CADV majors. The new course, CADV 180 - Statistics in Applied Developmental Sciences was selected because "statistics" textbooks are some of the highest priced texts for college students. Spending focused time and resources to select and curate zero-cost course materials for this new course that will become a "common text" across all sections will have a significant impact on CADV students' overall textbook/materials expenses. The faculty working on this special project received a stipend from the AL$ award as well conducting focus groups and consulting with the larger department faculty to gain buy-in and consensus.
Please include any feedback you received from your faculty and students
Extremely positive feedback from faculty in department as well as students interviewed. In addition, we have shared our results with our College Curriculum Committee to encourage other departments to investigate more zero-cost options.
What additional support you would need or other suggestions you have about this inaugural departmental award?
None. This has a been a cathartic experience for our department faculty and an exciting catalyst to increase our dialogue and action regarding adoption low/zero-cost course materials for students. We appreciate your support via this award.
| Department/Questions | Please describe how the awarded money has helped your students save money on course materials. It could be student stipends, faculty stipends, or other ways of support we mentioned before, but make sure to include specific courses and cost savings for courses that are adopting or will be adopting new open educational resources if applicable. | Please include any feedback you received from your faculty and students | What additional support you would need or other suggestions you have about this inaugural departmental award? |
| Secondary Education | Instructors used this funding to invite guest speakers to 6 classes (speakers received a $25 gift card). Speakers were accomplished teachers, speaking to classes for preservice teachers in our credential program and inservice teachers in our MA program. | Faculty reported that the speakers were excellent and well received by the students. | We hope we can carry these funds forward, as many faculty members did not avail themselves of this opportunity. My lesson is that I needed to remind them more often. But we did appreciate being able to use these funds in this way. |
| Master of Social Work | This award money allowed us to offer 15 additional Simpact sessions at no cost to our students this academic year. We were able to create three new scenarios for these bonus sessions (two involve child clients and one is a macro scenario involving a proposed neighborhood project). All field students had the opportunity to sign up for one no-cost "bonus" session that was conducted during spring semester. | We've had a lot of positive feedback from students about the value of their field class Simpact sessions, with many requests for more simulation opportunities. Students are grateful for the opportunity to learn and faculty welcome the opportunity to teach using this innovative method. | This was so beneficial to our students and the creation of additional scenarios gives us the ability to support future students at a low cost. Thank you! |
| Physical Therapy | Student stipends were awarded to 7 students in PT 794, 796 & 798 with extenuating circumstances pertaining to their clinical affiliations. We utilized the funds to assist students who have to travel a substantial distance for their clinical affiliations this summer. Due to COVID, clinical sites are fewer and farther and this extra expense is extremely challenging for the students. | Students were extremely thankful and grateful for the stipend as it helped tremendously with expenses. | Would be wonderful to have additional funding to help more students. Thank you for providing this support to our students. |
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