The Impact of Typical Textbook Behaviors on Satisfaction with Zero Textbook Cost Materials

Open Educational Resources (OER) and Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) courses have the ability to decrease the costs of higher ed- ucation and provide more equitable access to learning materials. Students at a regional public master’s-level institution enrolled in ZTC courses, some of which used OER, were surveyed about their satisfaction and use of ZTC materials as compared with their com- mercial textbook and course material use. Students generally rated high levels of satisfaction with the OER/ZTC materials. A high level of satisfaction with OER/ZTC materials is consistent with other findings. Students’ attitudes and behaviors with commercial textbooks predict their OER/ZTC satisfaction. Students who are more likely to have access to textbooks in their typical courses and where costs of textbooks are less of a barrier, are more satisfied with OER/ZTC materials than those who are less likely to have access, or where costs are more of a barrier. This finding counters to what one would expect if providing more equitable access was a key influence on student satisfaction with OER/ZTC courses. These findings suggest that better understanding the relationships students have with traditional materials could improve student satisfaction and use of OER/ZTC materials.