Students today struggle with the cost of college textbooks. Join us to learn how MERLOT can help you develop low cost or zero-cost classes for your students. Find out how to participate in the MERLOT community, create your own OER (open educational resources), and extend your professional development network.
Studies have shown that today's students struggle with college costs. "Thirty percent of survey respondents said they had forgone a trip home to see family, 43 percent said they skipped meals, 31 percent registered for fewer classes and 69 percent worked a job during the school year -- all to save money for books" (Whitford, 2018). Faculty and students both need access to learning materials that are affordable or free. MERLOT and Cool4Ed are two ways to find those materials and create courses that are low to zero costs for students. In this session we will present an introduction MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching) and Cool4Ed (California Open Online Library for Education). Additionally, we will demonstrate how to use these resources to develop low to zero cost classes. We will also share ways in which educators can participate in MERLOT by becoming reviewers, creating their own materials using the MERLOT Content Builder, and participating in MERLOT boards and communities. Take a sip of MERLOT and save your students money!
Whitford, E. (2018, July 26). Textbook trade-offs. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/07/26/students-sacrifice-meals-and-trips-home-pay-textbooks