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University System of Ohio Faculty Teams to Collaborate on Designing and Packaging Affordable Textbooks for Students
Chancellor awards state's first "Textbook Affordability Grants"
For Immediate Release | March 27, 2009
COLUMBUS – Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric D. Fingerhut today announced the first four college and university faculty collaborations chosen to receive "Textbook Affordability Grants” from the University System of Ohio.
The new program was created to spur innovation that reduces the cost of textbooks for students across the University System. The grants announced today provide funding to academic teams comprised of professors from 11 of Ohio's public universities and community colleges working together to develop and package collections of course materials, which will be offered free to students in selected courses across the System. It is part of the state's efforts to provide affordable textbook options to Ohio college students, such as offering discounts on eTextbooks through CourseSmart when purchased via the University System of Ohio Web site, and rewarding professors who are introducing creative digital materials that enrich learning and lower student costs.
"Helping make textbooks affordable for college students is a priority of the University System of Ohio," Chancellor Fingerhut said. "This program is another step in leveraging both technology and the University System of Ohio to create a new business model that provides consumer-driven savings for students."
Faculty teams vying for the grants submitted proposals that were reviewed by a panel of state and national experts in education, technology, and textbook affordability. Those chosen for funding include:
Proposal: Online Textbook and Course Materials for Construction Methods and Materials
University System of Ohio Faculty Team:
- Albert Wahle, Sinclair Community College
- Eric Dunn, Sinclair Community College
- Charles Setterfield, Sinclair Community College
- John Zeit, Stark State College of Technology
- Janet Herron, Zane State College
Proposal: Educational Technology: Integration, Methods, & Content
- Ronald Abate, Cleveland State University
- Roger Carlsen, Wright State University
- Cindy Kovalik, Kent State University
- Chia-Ling Kuo, Kent State University
- Teresa Franklin, Ohio University
- Sajit Zachariah, The University of Akron
Proposal: Cognitivist and Constructivist Materials for Teaching Educational Psychology
University System of Ohio Faculty Team:
- Karen Giorgetti, Youngstown State University
- Albert Ingram, Kent State University
- Renee Mudrey-Camino, The University of Akron
Proposal: Online Textbook Replacement Materials for Engineering Technology – Statics Course
University System of Ohio Faculty Team:
- Jamshid Moradmand, Sinclair Community College
- Russell Marcks, Sinclair Community College
- Thomas Looker, Edison Community College
- Anna Dollar, Miami University
Teams will receive $50,000 each – with the option of increasing the award if they increase the state's return on investment by getting more institutions to adopt the finished materials and subsequently get them into even more students' hands. Award recipients are responsible for developing, building, and packaging their course materials. During development, teams will be required to report on progress, outcomes, descriptions of partner involvement, budgets, eTextbook use, resources created, and implementation utilization.
For more information on the University System of Ohio's "Textbook Affordability Grants" and other steps Ohio is taking to make textbooks more affordable, visit: http://www.uso.edu/opportunities/textbooks/index.php.
Contact: Michael Chaney, Chief Communications Officer, Ohio Board of Regents
Office: (614) 752-9480 Cell: (614) 633-5909
E-mail: mchaney@regents.state.oh.us
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