Anderson University received a national grant that will result in lower textbook costs for its students.
The Anderson University School of Nursing received the Pascal SCALE Affordable Learning Grant for the development of an Open Education Resource (OER.) The grant will significantly reduce textbook costs for students participating in NUR 453: Leadership and Management.
Dr. Andrea Raines, project lead for the implementation of the grant, said the faculty in the School of Nursing constantly look for ways to reduce the cost of textbooks for their students.
“This grant will open up many opportunities for School of Nursing students,” Raines said. “The goal is to reduce textbook expenditures, provide students with relevant and authentic information and provide nursing students with a centralized location for all course learning materials.”
The current required textbook for NUR 453: Leadership and Management costs over $100, which is difficult for some students to afford. Raines said that, with the creation of an Open Education Resource, students nationwide could save nearly $85,000,000.
Dr. Carol Archuleta, dean of the Anderson University School of Nursing, said the decision to create the OER largely had to do with constructive feedback from students. The School of Nursing faculty has been receptive to the voices of students throughout this process, and the grant team is working to produce the material for student use as soon as possible.
Research and composition for the OER will begin in December 2020 and is projected to continue through April 2021. The grant team hopes to have a finished resource to provide to students by the 2021 fall semester.
“This grant helps us realize ways we can significantly impact the cost savings we desire to have for our students,” said Dr. Donald Peace, dean of the Anderson University College of Health Professions. “I’m very proud of the team that helped write and coordinate this successful grant application for the School of Nursing.”
The entire grant team is excited for the benefits that the OER will provide the School of Nursing, and especially the students within it.
“This resource has the potential to significantly improve upon the retention of course content,” Raines said. “But it will also increase the skills needed in rapidly changing career pathways in the field of health care.”