Western Oklahoma State College (WOSC) is a small two-year community college with around 1,500 students. WOSC offers three different pathways. The mathematics courses offered; vary in level, depth and content depending on the pathway and have to be requested by the students at the beginning of their studies. This leads to a large variation of teaching groups, sometimes of just two students.
Similar to many other institutions in the US, students at Western Oklahoma State College face high costs of educational material. For example, in one class, students each pay $127 to use materials from a publisher. However, once their subscription ends, they lose access to these materials.
Challenge of Teaching Math with Limited Resources
Pia Bauer, lecturer for mathematics at WOSC, is looking for effective ways of teaching math with limited resources. Finding budget-friendly alternatives without compromising educational quality has been challenging for the teachers as it takes time and effort. Publishers are a comfortable choice that offer a standard quality. Even though the movement of Open Educational Resources (OER) is growing stronger in the US, its usage is still accompanied by a number of concerns ranging from low time and incentive for teachers, to technical knowledge, quality standards and content compatibility.
Open Educational Resources as Solution
To lift a part of the financial burden off students, Pia Bauer from WOSC decided to experiment with the use of OER in her Calculus 2 class. The combination of the openly licenced book and exercise material in Grasple, proved to be a resourceful way, where students wouldn’t have to pay for expensive textbooks, they could revisit exercises they previously failed, and they would receive personalized feedback.
“What I saw in Grasple matched the level of OpenStax and it was very robust and I really liked that"
- Pia Bauer, lecturer for mathematics at WOSC
Setting Up The Course with The Free Teacher Account in Grasple
With the consent of her students, Pia Bauer set up this first experiment in a blended learning approach. The OpenStax Calculus 2 eBook provided students with the option to study the theory of the lessons. In combination with the exercises in Grasple, students solidified their knowledge through continuous practice. Especially using the Grasple functionality of adaptive feedback proved very valuable. Students could do their online homework, look at the explanations given in the specific feedback and combined with the notes from the lecture continue their writing.
The technological challenges of setting up an online course could be overcome by closely collaborating with Grasple support. Pia Bauer was able to match the open content available in Grasple to the course structure of OpenStax by breaking down the eBook into modules, adjusting headlines and deleting exercises that were too advanced for a college course. This created a seamless learning journey for her students by integrating everything into their Learning Management System (LMS) Canvas.
Highly Motivated Students as Results of Transforming The Learning Experience
With the burden of paying high prices for textbooks lifted from students they could engage more in solving problems and learning concepts. Where they previously had to pay $127 per student to use the publisher tool, they now use the combination of Grasple and OpenStax for free.
“Removing that barrier of another expense really helps you relax a little bit. I cannot say it any other way, but say is one less thing to worry about” - Pia Bauer, lecturer for mathematics at WOSC
The students were highly motivated and adjusted quickly to the new system. Having the chance to explore the material on their own prepared them more proactively for what university will be like once they transfer from their current college. With accessible learning material the students could learn from their mistakes and fill the gaps they might have in their knowledge. Students using Grasple always referred back to the OpenStax e-book, in contrast to other students using the traditional combination of learning material that follows a pre-defined standard plan. Using this new teaching approach students were given an opportunity to be more accountable for what they were doing in their studies and to grasp and reinforce what they learned in the lecture.
Even though choosing a publisher might be more comfortable from a teacher's point of view, there are a lot of budget-friendly alternatives and new possibilities in supporting their student's education.
“It helps me stay young. I just needed a little bit of a push to be... open to something new. Not because I didn't think something could be better, but because [the previous set-up with paid tools provided by publishers] was comfortable.”
- Pia Bauer, lecturer for mathematics at WOSC
Top Tips and Advice by Educator, for Educators in Similar Situations:
- Use Grasple by exploring the instructor resources and don't hesitate to ask questions when you get stuck.
- Seek help from Grasple whenever you face difficulties and familiarize yourself with the platform by solving problems as if you were a student.
- Customize problems to fit your course. Some problems may be too advanced for your students.
- Keep in mind that some students, especially in introductory courses, may need more guidance.
- Using resources of paid publishers is oftentimes a lot more comfortable, however keep in mind that there are many, budget-friendlier alternatives available as well.