Instructor perspectives on open textbooks in higher education

With this thesis, I explore the costs associated with higher education and how those costs may impact access. By applying Bourdieu's theory of education, I explore the forms of capital inherent in an individual or group and their effect on social mobility. I discuss how economic status, culture, and class can create inequality between low and high-socioeconomic status students and their access to, and completion of, a higher education. I explore the implementation of open textbooks as having the potential to bridge gaps between students by making college less expensive and as such making it more accessible to students from all income levels. I theorize that by limiting the financial burden of higher education, adoption of open textbooks could increase retention rates. Research shows that students are overall in support of open textbooks, and a majority of the students studied report a positive experience in using open textbooks versus print, yet there is little research engaging instructors' perspectives on open textbooks. This is a vital area of research since it is instructors who choose the required textbooks for their courses and, in turn, create the associated cost for students. Using a survey that I conducted at a medium-sized public university in the Pacific Northwest in 2015, I explore the knowledge and assessments of open textbooks and barriers to assigning open textbooks, from instructors' perspectives.