AB must follow other provinces’ leads, return to exploration of OER to reduce costs for students: Editorial

Alberta should consider the actions taken by provinces such as British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario to support open educational resources and reduce the cost of study materials, write Sandra Amin (University of Calgary Students’ Union), Magdalena Beukes (King’s University Students’ Union), Erik Christiansen (Mount Royal University), and Michael B McNally (University of Alberta). Amin, Beukes, Christiansen, and McNally write that the cost of textbooks and other learning materials have—like tuition—increased well above the rate of inflation, and that other cost saving measures such as reselling textbooks or using free library materials have become more difficult with the launch of digital books. Given the value that educated citizens bring to their province, the authors encourage students to consider how AB best addresses the costs of and brings value to their education.