Alternative Textbook Grant program supports teaching, learning, and student success

By Adrian Ho and Jillian Waitkus

Committed to supporting student success and knowledge sharing, UK Libraries is launching the Alternative Textbook Grant Program to encourage faculty members to adopt peer-reviewed, open access alternative textbooks or to create alternative textbooks for their courses. Faculty members may apply for one of ten grants of up to $1,500 each to implement any curriculum change required for the use of alternative textbooks. 

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics has shown that the cost of college textbooks rose 82 percent from 2002 to 2012. Studies indicate that the financial burden of textbooks negatively impacts student success by limiting students’ access to essential learning resources. With textbook cost soaring to an exorbitant level, faculty members are looking for solutions that will enable students to gain access to learning materials in the most economical way.

Open educational resources and alternative textbooks present a proven solution to the prohibitive prices of traditional textbooks, and allow faculty members to customize course materials in timely and innovative manners. UK Libraries’ academic liaisons will provide faculty members with assistance in identifying existing alternative textbooks and UK Libraries’ licensed information resources that are appropriate substitutes for traditional textbooks. 

Any current UK faculty member teaching a course in 2017 using a commercial textbook is eligible to apply for one of the ten alternative textbook grants. Proposals must be submitted via the Program’s online form. 

The Faculty Senate Library Committee will review the proposals. Successful applicants will be notified of awards in early Fiscal Year 2016/2017. Selection criteria include: strength of statement of concern, estimated potential savings by students in the course, sustainability beyond the initial semester, and the ability to use the alternative textbook in 2017. Each grant recipient will have to submit a report that describes the alternative textbook, the number of students impacted, estimated student savings, and a short evaluation of the experience with the Program. Outcomes of the Program will be shared with the UK community.

The proposal submission deadline is April 29, 2016.  For more information about the Alternative Textbook Grant Program, please contact UK Libraries Director of Digital Scholarship Adrian Ho at adrian.ho@uky.edu or UK Libraries Senior Associate Dean Mary Beth Thomson at mbthomson@uky.edu.

UK Libraries marks Open Access Week

Open Access is a consistent theme in university libraries across the world, as researchers seek to share and collaborate in new ways. “Open for Collaboration” is the theme of Open Access Week 2015, a global event taking place October 19 - 25. As scholars, research institutions, and funding agencies acknowledge the benefits of open access, they have made an increasing amount of scholarly content freely available online for people to reuse and build upon for innovation. 

An advocate for open access, University of Kentucky Libraries has forged collaborative partnerships with various campus units to enable free online access to unique research and scholarship via UK’s institutional repository, UKnowledge. UKnowledge houses remarkable collections. UK faculty and students interested in using the resources and services made available by UKnowledge can contact Adrian Ho, director of Digital Scholarship at UK Libraries, for information and assistance. 

Highlights from the UKnowledge Open Access collection:

Ablation Workshop

Alexandre Martin from the UK College of Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering has been a key organizer of the NASA-sponsored Ablation Workshop in the past few years. To ensure high visibility and ready access to the outcomes of the workshop, Martin collaborated with UK Libraries to publish online proceedings on UKnowledge. Scientists and engineers anywhere in the world who specialize in aerothermodynamic ablation can now effortlessly access papers, presentations and test cases discussed at the workshop with just a few clicks. 

A Glimpse into Ancient Mexico: Writings of the Aztecs, Mixtec and Maya

To celebrate ¡Viva México! in the 2013-14 academic year, Chris Pool and Barry Kidder from the UK College of Arts and Sciences Department of Anthropology annotated facsimile codices housed in UK Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center and had them digitized for a virtual exhibit. The annotated images, which can be examined in detail using UKnowledge’s zoom and pan functionalities, tell little-known stories about the ancient cultures in Mexico. Some intriguing images in the exhibit have attracted attention from around the world and have been downloaded hundreds of times. 

Agricultural Economics Textbook Gallery

David L. Debertin, a professor emeritus of the UK College of Agriculture Department of Agricultural Economics, is a leader in knowledge sharing. Based on his experience of teaching applied economics, he authored and self-published five textbooks and made them freely downloadable online. One of the textbooks offers 98 pages of illustrations that demonstrate Debertin’s skills as a production economist and also as a graphics artist. Another title provides spreadsheets, PowerPoint slides, and class materials to facilitate teaching and learning in the digital era. 

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

Published by the Committee on Social Theory in the College of Arts and Sciences, disClosure is an annual thematic scholarly journal that investigates new directions in contemporary social theory through a variety of media including scholarly essays, poetry and visual art. The complete run of 24 issues is accessible via UKnowledge. disClosure welcomes new submissions to the 2016 issue. More information is available in the call for papers.

Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center Special Report

The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) is a partnership between the Kentucky Department for Public Health and UK’s College of Public Health. Its studies cover important topics and combine rigorous academic inquiry with practical public health initiatives. KIPRC has also published other reports that address work-related fatality.

By Adrian Ho, UK Libraries, and Whitney Hale, UK PR & Marketing

Republished with permission from UKNow. 

UK Libraries team participates in SEC Academic Collaboration Award Workshop

Mary Beth Thomson, Anna Gault, Michael Perry, and Adrian Ho

UK Libraries participated in the inaugural SEC Academic Collaboration Award Workshop held at Texas A&M University Libraries February 6-8.  The theme of the workshop was “Developing Partnerships to Advance Open Access Initiatives at SEC Universities.”

Invited teams of student and library leaders focused on developing their own institutional action plans to advance open access or the use of open educational resources on their campuses. The workshop also included presentations by nationally recognized experts on: exemplary open access programs, leadership, program design, and organizational change.

Senior Associate Dean Mary Beth Thomson, Director of Digital Scholarship Adrian Ho, undergraduate student representative Michael Perry, and graduate student representative Anna Gault formed the UK Libraries contingent. Thanks to all of them for representing UK Libraries.