Post-Secondary Students Save Millions Through Investments In Open Education Resources

Released on December 8, 2021

The Government of Saskatchewan is investing $250,000 to support the continued development of open education resources at the University of Regina, the University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

"Open education resources provide students with accessible, free resources to support and enhance their learning experience," Advanced Education Minister Gene Makowsky said. "More than 85,000 students have benefited from government's investment in open education resources programming."

Open education resources are digital teaching materials, including textbooks, workbooks, guides, manuals, as well as audio and visual products that are available online free of charge. To-date, there are 69 open education resource projects that are in development or have been completed in the province's three largest institutions. Some faculty members are involving students in the development and adaptation of these resources.

"We appreciate the Government of Saskatchewan's ongoing commitment to post-secondary education as demonstrated by its support for this important initiative," University of Saskatchewan President Peter Stoicheff said. "Open education resources enhance affordability and accessibility of post-secondary education, and this funding ensures we can continue to expand our offering of these resources and help to reduce the cost of education for Saskatchewan students."

"On behalf of the University of Regina, I want to thank the Government of Saskatchewan for its renewed commitment to the Open Educational Resources program and the students who continue to benefit from it," University of Regina President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Jeff Keshen said. "Over the past several years, this program has been invaluable in helping our faculty develop and adopt high-quality, open educational resources that significantly reduce overall textbook costs. At the same time, it has provided unique opportunities for students whose senior undergraduate and graduate papers were included in edited volumes that themselves are now open educational resources for others."

"Open education resources help make post-secondary education more affordable for our students," Saskatchewan Polytechnic President and CEO Dr. Larry Rosia said. "During the pandemic, students may have experienced additional financial pressures.  This is a very welcome investment from the Government of Saskatchewan in our students' education and in the future of our province."

Post-secondary education institutions have worked collaboratively with others across the province and the country in the development of open education resources. They have increased the profile of open resources at their campuses resulting in more faculty adopting these materials as their primary teaching materials.

Since 2015, the Government of Saskatchewan has invested $1.75 million to support the development of open education resources, resulting in nearly $8 million in textbook and resource cost-savings.

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