OER

Ohio U Turns to Open Resources to Reduce Student Costs

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 10/31/17

Ohio University has teamed with a private partner to make open educational resources (OER) more accessible to students.

The university has teamed with Top Hat, which will make the resources available through their Top Hat Marketplace in a move estimated to save students $500,000 each semester.

"Tuition is not the only element driving affordability within higher education," said John Carey, chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, in a prepared statement. "I am pleased that Ohio University is focused on finding new ways to make a college degree affordable for all Ohioans."

Faculty at the university will be able to use Top Hat to create their own interactive content, interactive homework, create and administer tests and find new course content through the marketplace. Top Hat also offers tools for creating interactive textbooks and to turn student devices into tools for soliciting student feedback in class or encouraging greater participation.

"Through this partnership, Ohio University continues to demonstrate its national leadership toward increasing pathways to quality academic opportunities for all students," said Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis in a prepared statement. "Providing students access to affordable course materials is an integral part of Ohio University's dual mission of educational access and educational excellence."

More information about Top Hat is available at tophat.com.