The StFX Students’ Union and StFX University have announced the launch of the first Open Educational Resources (OER) grant program at the school. A partnership between the university
J. Bruce Brown Hall, St. FX University
and the students’ union, the grant program offers StFX professors funding to switch from using traditionally published textbooks to open educational resources, which are a free alternative to regular textbooks.
Naomi Stobart, vice president academic for the students union, said the program is a first for StFX. She says faculty applied for the grants, and the grants were used to employ summer students to help create textbooks for the class.
In total, the open education resources will save students approximately $88,000 in textbook costs for the five programs they are funding this year alone. Stobart said, based on a MacLeans’ report, StFX has some of the highest textbook costs in the country. She said it is great the students’ union and the university partnered to help make education more accessible.