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"gewg_" writes:

from the free-and-free dept.

Network World reports [networkworld.com]

Finally, a bit of good news on the college costs front: A study out of Brigham Young University [byu.edu] finds that free open [knowledge] textbooks do the job pretty darn well.

The study [springer.com]of nearly 17,000 students at 9 colleges found that open [knowledge] textbooks (or open educational resources--OERs in academic lingo) found that students learn the same amount or more from the free books across many subjects. (Here's a sampling of the sorts of texts available, via a University of Minnesota site [umn.edu].)

What's more, 85% of students and instructors said open textbooks were actually better than the commercial ones. The research focused its results based on measurements such as course completion, final grade, final grade of C- or higher, enrollment intensity, and enrollment intensity in the following semester.

[...][Besides cost, another] beauty of the open textbooks is that instructors can customize them with fresh content via open licenses.

Original Submission