Student Technology Fee – AY 2020Tech Initiatives Proposal Form

DUE April 1, 2020 (Students)DUE April 2, 2020 (Employees)

Project Title: Increasing Access to Course Materials Through Digital TextbooksExplain what you are requesting (3 lines max): We are requesting funds to be offered as stipends to four professors who are looking to create or modify open educational resources or digital textbooks to replace expensive, published textbooks.

Principal Contact/ApplicantName: Ali HolmesEmail: holmesa6@wwu.eduPhone: 206-915-0893Dept/Org: Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment Enter “student”, “faculty”, or “staff”: student employee

Other Contact/ApplicantName: Justina BrownEmail: jbrown@wwu.eduPhone: 360-650-7210Dept/Org: Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment Enter “student”, “faculty”, or “staff”: staff

Proposed Budget for Project1. Equipment total $20,832.172. Plus site preparation (not STF funded) + $     3. Total Project Cost (budget total from part III of this form, “Project Budget”) = $20,832.174. Less organization’s contribution – $     5. Less site preparation – $     6. STF Grant Request = $20,832.17

IMPORTANT NOTES

1. Student Technology Fee Mission:The Student Technology Fee (STF) provides Western students with adequate and innovative technology experiences by: Broadening/enhancing the quality of the academic experience, Providing additional student access to technology, and Increasing integration of technology into the curriculum.

2. THE STF Committee will accept only complete proposals by the announced deadline. Every section (I–VIII) and all items of this proposal form must be addressed.

3. Disallowed items: The following items generally would not qualify for STF Tech Initiatives funding:

Computer lab upgrades(Existing computer labs are upgraded on a rolling schedule with a separate allocation of STF funds.)

Software related to maintenance and/or serial payments

Maintenance contracts on equipment or software

Expendable supplies

Equipment that will not be used directly by students, and/or non-computer equipment or furnishings that are part of the typical classroom environment (such as lighting, portable and fixed media equipment, furniture, chairs, etc.).

I. Relationship to STF Objectives / Impact on the Student Academic Experience

The STF Committee will use as its primary assessment criteria the three objectives—quality, access, and integration—defined in the STF mission (“Note 1” above). Given this criteria, describe your proposed project in detail.

1. Tell us—focusing on what the students would gain from the project—how the project would provide positive benefits to the student academic experience. Specifically, answer at least one of a, b and c below:

a. How would this project broaden or enhance the quality of the student’s academic experience through the proposed technology?

One significant obstacle facing students today is the cost of higher education. This is especially true in the current crisis caused by COVID where many students have lost jobs or have family members who may be currently unemployed. The College Board estimates that for the 2019-20 academic year, undergraduate students will need to budget $1,240 per year for books and supplies. Sometimes, single textbooks can cost upwards of $230. The Alternative Digital Textbook Project has dramatically decreased textbook costs to students over the last 4 academic years. We estimate that through the use of digital textbooks, students have saved $1.381 million over the past four years at Western Washington University.

Given the urgent need for teaching online due to COVID-19 and the loss of jobs/income for many students, it has become increasingly important to help faculty transform their classes to teach online using OER or alternative digital texts.

We understand that the STF has been suspended until fall but we ask you to consider this application for Summer 2020, given the increasing necessity of lowering costs of classes for students in the current crisis that will have far-reaching impacts.

Additionally, part of providing access to quality academic courses is also providing access to quality course materials that meet the needs of the professor in regards to their unit level goals for the course. One of the largest benefits using OER texts is that most OER allow for the user to modify the material to suit their own needs. In a study by Babson Survey Research Group in 2018, they found that only 30% of faculty are “extremely satisfied” with their course text. Additionally, of the department chairs who were surveyed in this study, 27% wished that these texts were more up-to-date and 26% would like the published texts to be editable by the professors themselves (see Endnote 1). Further, studies have shown that courses with OER texts have lower withdrawal rates (see Endnote 2). Finally, courses that use OER texts are seeing an increase in end-of-course grades for students. One report found that, “They also improve course grades at greater rates and decrease DFW rates at greater rates for Pell recipient students, part-time students, and populations historically underserved by higher education” (see Endnote 3). Using OER helps create more equitable classroom experiences for all students.

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While it is unlikely that the publishing industry will be able to publish textbooks faster or open up their licenses so textbooks can be directly edited, these are two things that most OER texts give professors the ability to do. For example, when the Center for Instructional Innovation and Assessment (CIIA) worked to replace Dr. Kanov’s and Dr. Warren’s textbook last spring, we learned that there were several chapters in the textbook that they thought were poorly written and could all together be discarded. Getting rid of these chapters in their new OER text allowed them to focus on the more critical topics in their course. Together, we put together a textbook that was more aligned to their course learning targets with up-to-date research in the field.

b. How would this project provide additional student access to technological resources?

Access to textbooks and other course materials is a barrier to an equitable educational experience. A report compiled by the Student PIRGs in 2014 found that in a survey of 150 college campuses, 65% of students have skipped buying a textbook due to the cost. Of these students, 94% knew that doing so would likely have an adverse effect on their grade for the class. In this same study, they found that textbook costs affected how many classes students took as well as which classes they chose to take (see Endnote 4).

Increasing the number of digital textbooks available to students on Western's campus will provide additional student access to course materials necessary for completing courses towards major or graduation requirements. Over the past four years, students saved an average of $345,000 each academic year with the transformation of 3 or 4 Western courses to using alternative texts. Close to 6,000 Western students will take a course that utilized open educational resources as the core text for their course in the 2019-2020 academic year (see Endnote 5). As noted above, increasing the number of courses that use OER as their primary text is increasingly important for students coming from-low income backgrounds and students who have had a change in income due to COVID-19.

The requested funding will be used to provide stipends to faculty who take the Summer Workshop (offered annually). The Summer Workshop is a highly successful, professional development program offered to our faculty through the CIIA. In the current program, faculty apply to participate in a week-long workshop where they re-design courses, adopting new instructional strategies and technologies while writing, curating or modifying an open textbook. These new alternative digital textbooks would be used during the 2020-21 academic year and other years moving forward. While we are hoping that we will be able to hold the summer workshop in-person, we are also prepared to host the workshop remotely through Zoom and other video-conferencing technologies. Assistance in preparing accessible digital materials will be provided by Academic Technology and User Services (ATUS) and Western Libraries personnel, in kind, as part of our existing services.

c. How would this project increase integration of technology into coursework?

The primary way that students access alternative or OER textbooks is through mobile and desktop devices. We understand that not all Western students have a personal or mobile device. We believe students will still be able to access online materials through existing WWU resources such as classrooms, computer labs, and loan pools across campus. Some computers at Western can be checked out for up to a quarter giving students the ability to use a device for the duration that they would be using the text.

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Additionally, there is often an increase in accessibility by using OER. Digital OER often include searching features, translation tools, annotating text options, text-to-speech and other various technologies. Depending on how the professor presents the final text, the text itself can also include an increase of technology in the learning materials. For example, Todd Smith developed a text in 2019 that included, audio, visual, and video media outside of the traditional written text. Qiang Hao developed a text where students could read the book and directly practice the computer science skills they had learned about using the web browser to give them direct feedback about their learning.

Endnotes:1. Babson Survey Research Group Report “Freeing the Textbook: Educational Resources in US Higher Education, 2018” accessed 03/03/2020, https://www.onlinelearningsurvey.com/reports/freeingthetextbook2018.pdf2. Efficacy of Open Textbook Adoption on Learning Performance and Course Withdrawal Rates: A Meta-Analysis, accessed 03/03/2020, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23328584198722123. USPIRG Report “Fixing the Broken Textbook Market” accessed 03/03/2020, https://uspirg.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/NATIONAL%20Fixing%20Broken%20Textbooks%20Report1.pdf4. The Impact of Open Educational Resources on Various Student Success Metrics, accessed 03/03/2020, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1184998.pdf5. Unpublished Western data source.

2. Would other departments be involved with this project? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe.

The workshop involves a collaboration between ATUS, the CIIA, and Western Libraries.

Participants can come from any department. In the past four years, we have helped transform courses from 16 different departments across Western’s campus. We choose which courses will be transformed by looking at which courses are GURs, the average number of students who take the course annually, and the cost of the current textbook. We typically try to transform courses that have 100+ students enrolled. We also try to choose courses based on which departments haven’t had a course transformation in the past.

3. Has any part of this project previously been funded by the Student Technology Fee? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe.

The STF funded this project in the 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19 academic years. In 2019-20, the CIIA funded the alternative textbook project through a one-year grant through the Washington Student Achievement Council.

4. Is the proposed project a pilot project? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe.

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II. Utilization

List the anticipated number of times and duration per each use—per quarter or per academic year—that students would use the proposed technology, along with the impact of that proposed technology on students. Note: applications are funded after careful consideration of both the number of students that will be impacted by the technology and the quality of that impact.

We estimate, looking at past data, that if three or more additional courses are transformed for the 2020-21 academic year, an average of 340 students will take a new transformed OER course each quarter (excluding summer quarter). This number does not include students who will take OER courses that have previously transformed in other academic years. This number is averaged by looking at how many students took 16 different OER courses in the first year of use over the past four years at Western.

With the inclusion of students taking previously transformed classes, approximately 1,655 students will take a course that uses OER materials each quarter at Western (not including summer quarter) in the 2020-21 academic year. We estimate that by transforming three courses in the 2020-21 academic year, students will save approximately $123,000 in just that year. This number is based on the average savings of transforming courses in the last four years at Western.

The course materials, being openly licensed, will be available for faculty to use as long as they teach the course and possibly longer. We estimate that OER course transformations have saved students $1.368 million since the start of the program in 2016.

III. Project Budget

This section details the estimated total cost of the project. Include costs that would be covered—by your department or another source—for ongoing costs such as personnel or operating expenses.

1. For assistance in preparing your budget, please consult with relevant campus support departments:

Academic Technology & User Services, x6538 Budget Office, x4762 Space Administration, x3222 Purchasing, x3340

How to Buy SoftwareHow to Buy ComputersLab/Special Supplies, etc.

2. Complete the Budget Estimate Table below. If you have more than seven line-item expenses, attach a separate Excel spreadsheet instead.

Items to Purchase Quantity Item Cost Item Total1. Faculty Stipends 4 $4,000 $16,000

2. Benefits 4 $320 $1,280

3. Printing Fees 4 $580 $2,320

4. Pressbooks Licenses 4 $99 $396

5.             $      $     

6.             $      $     

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7.             $      $     

Subtotal N/A N/A $19,996

Allowance for price increases (3% of subtotal) N/A N/A $599.88

Shipping (taxable) N/A N/A $     

Tax (8.7%) N/A N/A $236.29Total This total (or your attached spreadsheet total) should match the projected budget figure on page 1 of this proposal. (See box on page 1, #3.)

N/A N/A $20,832.17

Important Budget Notes from the STF Committee:

We recognize your proposed budget as an estimate. Final funding for successful projects will be established after thorough technical review; some costs may need adjusting due to price changes.

We may impose special conditions on a proposal before approval. See STF Proposal Guidelines, section V, Proposal Modifications.

Funding is not provided directly to departments for purchases. All purchasing is done via the Office of the VPIT/CIO and savings are retained in the Student Technology Fee fund.

3. What funding or contributions are available from your department or other sources?

None currently.

Note: The STF Committee encourages matching funds/funding support.“Contribution“ is defined as a monetary contribution. For example, a vendor discount is not considered a contribution.

4. Could this project be divided into discrete elements that could be funded separately? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” summarize and prioritize project elements with cost estimate for each.

We are looking to fund four professors who want to transform their course to use online digital textbooks. However, we could still run the week-long workshop if only three professors received funding instead of four. Excluding the cost of printing texts, the cost of hosting one professor to take the workshop and transform their course is $4,419. We will prioritize course transformations that impact the greatest number of students with high course material costs. The Pressbooks license is a one-time fee where faculty can upload their texts to a digital platform similar to Wordpress. They own the url to this site forever and it does not have to be renewed.

Note: A “no” response to question 4 creates an “all or nothing” proposal. That is, if the STF Committee decides against funding your entire proposal, it will not consider any elements for partial funding. If elements could be funded separately, the applicant is responsible for prioritizing them before submitting the proposal.

5. Are course or lab fees charged for any of the courses that will use this equipment? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe.

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Note: The total funding requested from the Student Technology Fee must reflect the amount collected from course fees for equipment replacement and/or equipment acquisition.

IV. Impact on Existing Resources

Your proposal must address the project’s potential impact on existing resources. Give special attention to the impact on data transmission networks (e.g., sources accessed, networking equipment, etc.), and personnel (e.g., staffing, administrative support, faculty support, etc.).

1. Describe how existing equipment is used. Contrast this to projected use if your project were funded.

The content created for this project is digital in form and given that there is a small number of professors who participate in this project, the impact of existing resources would be limited to server space for storage and distribution of these materials. Because one digital textbook file can be distributed to an unlimited number of students, you are able to impact a large number of students with a small resource investment.

2. Is similar equipment or technology available elsewhere on campus—such as the Student Technology Center, Classroom Services, Video Services, Western Libraries, a college lab? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No.

IF “Yes,” describe why existing equipment does not meet the needs outlined in this proposal.

     

3. If this project involves the replacement of equipment, including computers:

a. Describe the “before and after” configuration changes. (A spreadsheet reflecting these changes may be attached.) Or, write “N/A.”

NA

b. Describe the costs and benefits of replacing vs. upgrading. Or, write “N/A.”

NA

4. Would this equipment be available to students outside of your department? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe the following:a. How students would gain accessb. How equipment availability would be publicizedc. The hours/week when equipment would be availabled. Any costs that would result from a-c

a. Some of the alternative textbooks that we have created are available online. Students just need the web browser address to access the course materials. If the course materials are not hosted through a web browser online, students just need to request a free copy from the professor who has access to the material.

b. We have created a specific section on the new website ciidev.wwu.edu/affordable-options to host completed OER texts that are accessible through web browsers.c. Any day, any time.

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d. No extra cost.

5. Does this project involve the check-out of equipment to students? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No.

IF “Yes,” discuss whether the Student Technology Center/ATUS Loan Pool could be assigned this task.

     

6. Does the department have adequate operating funds to provide ongoing maintenance and support? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes.

IF “Yes,” describe.

When providing the grants to faculty, we have the expectation that the faculty will maintain their course content for three years. ATUS will provide ongoing technical and instructional design support to faculty during that time.

7. Does the department have adequate personnel funds to provide ongoing staff support for the project? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes.

IF “Yes,” describe.

Yes, we have three instructional designers and three instructional technologists on permanent staff. The Library also employs librarians who serve the campus with support on copyright and OER.

V. Space and Site Information

This section addresses any space alteration or site preparation necessary for the proposed project. Site alterations include painting, holes in walls, security systems, carpeting, construction, lighting changes, or conversion of a lab or office.

1. Location for installation of equipment or technology:

NA (digital storage)

2. Would site modification be required? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No.

IF “Yes,” describe the modifications (e.g., electrical, air, painting, lighting, security, network access, etc.).

     

3. Would this project use space not currently assigned to your department or area? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No.

IF “Yes,” describe.

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Conditional If this project would require any site preparation, or if this project would use any space notStep 4: currently under your department’s control:

a. You must submit a draft proposal to Space Administration by March 9, 2020.

b. Space Administration and Facilities Management will then conduct a site survey and respond to you by March 20, 2020 about project feasibility, cost and schedule.

c. You must include the site survey response with your final proposal.

VI. Project Schedule

Describe your overall implementation schedule.Note that project awards are announced during spring quarter, and that projects are to be substantially completed by the end of the calendar year.If any site preparation is involved (see section V above), align your project schedule with the schedule provided by Space Administration and Facilities Management.

Early May 2020: Get the call out for applicants who want to apply for summer grant fundingMid May 2020: Review Applicant Proposals Mid May 2020: Have board choose applicants who will receive summer fundingLate May 2020: Notify applicants and make sure they are still available to participate inthe summer grantMid-June 2020: Run week-long summer grant workshop onlineJune-August 2020: Provide additional support over the summer for grant participantsSeptember 2020-future: Digital alternative textbooks are uploaded to Canvas and used in courses starting in September

VII. Constraints

List or describe any external or internal factors/constraints that could affect your project schedule, project objectives, or the project budget (e.g., if external approval is required for curricular changes, or if funding must be received by a certain date).

Due to the COVID-19 crises, we would like to pursue funding for this workshop during June 2020, as intended. This would greatly benefit instructors who want to offer students a non-textbook option for their class--an option that may be more attractive than ever.

Since funding is not intended to be decided until October, we hope an exception can be made to address this need as part of the support faculty and students need during this time of remote teaching and learning.

VIII. Submitting the Proposal

1. Ensure your proposal does not exceed 14 pages (not including Tech Initiatives Summary Sheet).

2. Complete top portion of 2020 Tech Initiatives Proposal Summary Sheet.

3. Electronically submit the proposal and the summary sheet per appropriate substep below.

a. For student proposals: Email proposal and summary sheet by April 1 to AS Senate Pro Tempore at AS.Senateprotempore@wwu.edu. Both the proposal and summary sheet should be Word format.

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b. For employee proposals: Email proposal and summary sheet by internal due date, per your unit’s process [which must be before proposal due date (to STF Committee) of April 2]. Both the proposal and summary sheet should be Word format.

Note: Step 4 is for the positions gathering and/or prioritizing the submitted proposals.

4. Process the proposals per the appropriate position substeps below (a, b, or c).

a. AS Senate Pro Tempore (for student proposals):

i. Prioritize the student proposals. Indicate priority on summary sheets, and sign the sheets.

ii. Email proposals (Word format) and summary sheets (PDF format) to batemad@wwu.edu (the STF Committee secretary) no later than April 2.

b. Dept Chair / equivalent (for employee proposals):

i. Sign summary sheet(s) on “department chair” line.

ii. Email proposals (Word format) and signed summary sheets (PDF format) to college dean/unit head to meet internal deadline.

c. College Dean / unit head (for employee proposals):

i. Prioritize the employee proposals. Indicate priority on summary sheets, and sign the sheets.

ii. Email proposals (Word format) and completed summary sheets (PDF format) to batemad@wwu.edu (the STF Committee secretary) no later than April 2.

Note: Please do not send paper copies of proposals to the STF Committee.

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