Bill Overview
Title: No Cost Educational Resources Act
Description: This bill authorizes the Institute of Museum and Library Services to award grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) for facilitating the adoption, adaption, and creation of open educational reading materials and establishing more open educational reading material courses. Open educational reading material refers to a free digital text that is publicly available to be downloaded and redistributed. Open educational reading material course refers to a science, technology, engineering, or math course offered by an IHE that uses only open educational reading materials as the form of the required readings for the course.
Sponsors: Rep. Foster, Bill [D-IL-11]
Target Audience
Population: People involved in or affected by higher education STEM courses worldwide
Estimated Size: 20000000
- Open education resources (OER) initiatives typically aim to reduce the cost of educational materials for students, which can be prohibitively expensive.
- Students in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) courses at institutions of higher education will be directly impacted because their required readings will be made more accessible and free.
- Educators and faculty at higher education institutions will receive support in adopting and creating these open resources, impacting their teaching methodologies and course structures.
- The adoption of OER can lead to broader educational benefits, potentially increasing access and affordability of education, and impacting completion rates as students bear lesser financial burdens.
- The Institute of Museum and Library Services will be involved in administering the grants, impacting administrative and governmental operations related to educational resources.
Reasoning
- The policy targets improving access to educational resources for higher education students, particularly in STEM fields, by making learning materials free and accessible digitally.
- Students who face financial challenges paying for textbooks are likely to experience a significant improvement in their wellbeing as a result of reduced financial stress.
- Educators at higher education institutions may benefit from enhanced teaching flexibility and resource engagement, although the immediate impact on their personal wellbeing may be less pronounced.
- Individuals not directly involved with higher education or STEM courses, such as those not presently enrolled or whose fields are not scientific or technical, may feel little to no impact.
- Considering the financial constraints of the budget and target demographic, not all students, especially those outside STEM fields or those not utilizing IHEs, will see significant changes.
Simulated Interviews
college student (Boston, MA)
Age: 20 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The cost of textbooks is a huge burden every semester.
- Having free resources would make it easier to focus on my studies without working extra hours.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
university professor (Chapel Hill, NC)
Age: 45 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy will allow us to update our courses with more cutting-edge materials.
- It reduces the financial barriers for students, which can only benefit my classes.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
library services coordinator (San Francisco, CA)
Age: 29 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This would increase access to STEM materials across our state university system.
- I hope it comes with enough funding to properly support the distribution infrastructure.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
college student (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 18 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- It's my first year and textbooks are really expensive.
- Having free resources would make things a lot less stressful.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
faculty administrative staff (Ann Arbor, MI)
Age: 52 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy can modernize how resources are integrated into curriculums.
- I hope it simplifies processes for faculty and reduces paperwork.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
graduate student (Austin, TX)
Age: 22 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Reducing costs on resources is crucial as fees continue to rise.
- This policy should help reduce my student loan burdens.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 3 |
educational policy analyst (Seattle, WA)
Age: 60 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy is a step towards making education universally accessible.
- It should be expanded to other non-STEM fields too.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
employed (New York, NY)
Age: 25 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- If this policy was available when I was in school, finances would be easier now.
- Seeing this change gives me hope for future students.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
public high school teacher (Miami, FL)
Age: 31 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 0.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Free resources could affect my students heading to college, lowering their costs.
- It would be great if this was available to high schools too.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
educational technology consultant (Chicago, IL)
Age: 38 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 7.0 years
Commonness: 2/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Introducing more digital resources aligns with the educational trends I support.
- I hope this incentivizes more digital learning in the STEM areas.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $100000000 (Low: $90000000, High: $120000000)
Year 2: $90000000 (Low: $80000000, High: $110000000)
Year 3: $85000000 (Low: $75000000, High: $105000000)
Year 5: $75000000 (Low: $70000000, High: $95000000)
Year 10: $60000000 (Low: $50000000, High: $90000000)
Year 100: $20000000 (Low: $10000000, High: $30000000)
Key Considerations
- Effectiveness and utilization of grants to truly replace traditional course materials with OERs.
- The role of the Institute of Museum and Library Services in efficiently managing and disbursing the grants.
- Institutional willingness and ability to adapt and shift to a digital-first, free model for educational resources.
- Potential resistance from traditional publishers of educational materials, which could influence institutional adoption rates.