The University of Wisconsin-Superior is excited to announce the publication of three open textbooks written by Lynn Goerdt, Amanda Zbacnik and Rich Freese through the Center for Learning, Innovation, and Collaboration’s (CLIC) Open Educational Resources (OER) Mini-Grant Program. Each book was written over the span of two to three years and is now available for students, as well as the public, to access for free online.

These authors were not satisfied with the traditional course materials they used in the past. Zbacnik, professor of special education, and her co-author, Staci Gilpin, wanted to fill a scholarly gap with their book.

“As co-writers, we had presented about behavioral support at a number of conferences but felt that information about cultural considerations in the Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)/ Behavior Intention Plan (BIP) development process was often missing,” said Zbacnik.

Goerdt, a professor of social work, wanted to provide her students with a textbook tailored to her course and her students’ needs.

“My goal in writing the book was to create the textbook that I wanted my students to read and have access to so I could use more of the class time in discussion and working on the skills. I also wanted it to be [written] in a friendly and relatable style,” says Goerdt.

Rather than seeking out a book deal with a commercial textbook publisher, these instructors instead submitted proposals to the CLIC’s OER Mini-Grant Program and were awarded modest stipends to write open textbooks, which fall under the umbrella of OERs –  freely available, online course materials that anyone can access, download, edit, and reshare thanks to Creative Commons Licenses.

This ability to provide students with equitable access to education materials by lowering or eliminating course costs is a core benefit of using OERs. This benefit is important to Goerdt and one of the reasons she chose to write her textbook.

“I feel very good that I chose the OER route, as the ethics of open [education] is aligned with my values,” said Goerdt.

Combined, these three books save students a total of over $11,000 each academic year. The OER program has saved students over $87,000 since it was created in 2021.

After writing their first drafts, the authors worked with the CLIC’s Copyediting Intern, who proofread the books, conducted an accessibility audit, and adjusted the books’ design in the book publishing platform Pressbooks. This internship is a partnership between the CLIC and the Writing, Language, and Literature Department, and so far, the CLIC has hired three writing majors in this position since Fall 2023.

The interns not only gain academic credit for their work and experience copyediting scholarly works, but also the opportunity to collaborate with authors to prepare their books for publication. Each author has expressed their appreciation for such support.

“For me, I was grateful to have received final formatting assistance … [to] have the OER be Pressbooks ready,” said Zbacnik.

The authors’ students are also grateful. When asked their opinions about their professors’ textbooks, students in all three classes stated that they not only appreciated the cost savings, but also other benefits of their course using OERs. Students in each class interviewed said they enjoy immediate access to their online textbooks, prefer carrying their laptop instead of a heavy textbook, and like being able to revisit the textbooks any time after the course had concluded. Students also appreciated the digital features of the open textbooks, such as hyperlinks to additional resources and embedded videos.

Students shared that they appreciated knowing the information was current and written by someone they trust: “As a full-time college student, so much information is thrown at us from every direction. The simplicity of knowing I wasn’t going to have to read an outdated textbook and rather one that was concise and written by my professor who I admire deeply, made all the difference.”

These authors have some advice on writing an open textbook. While Zbacnik recommends finding a co-writer, Freese, adjunct instructor of music, says, “My biggest tip would be to pace yourself. It’s OK to start small and work incrementally, to share the next bit of content when it’s ready.”

To learn more about OERs, please visit the Universities of Wisconsin’s website. Each textbook can be found in the Pressbooks Directory:

• Macro Practice for Community and Organizational Change by Lynn Goerdt, Professor of Social Work
• People and Music: An Appreciation and History by Rich Freese, Adjunct Instructor of Music
• Nurturing Potential: An Equity-Minded Approach to Functional Behavioral Assessment by Amanda Zbacnik, Professor of Education, & Staci Gilpin