Dispelling Myths about OER/Open Textbooks

Myths about open textbooks rival those of ancient heroes. Learn the truth behind these misconceptions. This presentation will dispel four myths and touch on several others. OER myth: Demand is high, supply is low. OER myth: Commercial use of OER should be discouraged. Open textbook myth: An open textbook requires only the efforts and generosity of an author. Open textbook myth: All open textbooks are electronic books. Other myths: Open textbooks will destroy college bookstores; they are crowd-sourced by anonymous amateurs; the only benefit they offer is low cost. During this session, we'll address how supply and demand applies to OER, the massive scope of creating and distributing a textbook, and the importance of bound textbooks and their possible role in helping OER achieve widespread use.