Opening Doors Through Open Education
On March 3-6, 2025, IU Indianapolis University Library hosted its first-ever Open Education Week with a series of conversations, panels, and workshops centered around the question:
What would it look like if every student had access to the materials they needed to succeed?
One answer to this question lies in Open Educational Resources (OER), freely accessible, customizable learning materials like textbooks, videos, quizzes, and modules. OERs can be downloaded, edited, and shared without cost, making them a promising solution to the rising cost of course materials for students. Our goal for this week was to raise awareness of OER and empower both faculty and students to explore, adopt, and advocate for more inclusive, affordable education.
And the results? Inspiring, energizing, and just the beginning.
View the 2025 Open Education Week Impact Report to see event highlights, attendance data, and community feedback.
Reimagining Education
We started the week with OER in Action, a virtual panel spotlighting IU Indianapolis OER champions who have won or were nominated for the IU Indianapolis Open Education Award. These OER champions shared reflections that went beyond cost savings. They spoke about how OER enables them to tailor content to student needs, incorporate local and diverse perspectives, and foster deeper engagement. They saw OERs beyond their ability to save students money but as a tool for reimagining education.
Later that week, we partnered with the Center for Teaching and Learning and Center for Digital Scholarship to provide workshops on Pressbooks and Wikipedia, respectively. These sessions highlighted the tools and campus supports available to faculty interested in creating or remixing OER for their courses.
Student engagement was a central part of OER Week. During Textbook Madness, students stopped by our interactive table in the University Library’s second floor lobby to share how textbook costs have impacted their college experience. Their stories underscored what the data already shows that textbook prices remain a real barrier to student success. Many students reported spending over $300 per class on materials. When asked what they would rather spend that money on, students didn’t hesitate: rent, child care, car repairs, food, tuition, and even just the chance to breathe a little.
Still, there were glimmers of hope. Several students spoke positively about faculty who intentionally use low- or no-cost course materials. To build on the OER movement, we provided students Advocacy Cards with talking points and campus resources to empower them to start conversations with their instructors about OERs as a way to create a more affordable learning experience for themselves and their peers. This week of events showcased a interest for open education but sustaining that momentum requires continued, intentional effort.
From Barriers to Momentum
As we wrapped up OER week, the University Library reflected on the barriers that still challenge widespread OER adoption. Among them:
- Lack of time to work on OERs
- Uncertainty about where to begin
- Limited institutional recognition or support
The good news? The University Library is committed to supporting faculty at every stage of the OER journey to elevate teaching innovation and better support student success.
We invite you to join us in this work. Whether you're new to OER or already using open materials, there are many ways to get involved:
- Explore our OER LibGuide for tools, examples, subject specific repositories
- Apply for our OER Development Grant
- Nominate yourself or a colleague for the IU Indianapolis Open Education Award
- Collaborate with a librarian to find or create OER for your course
The journey to open education is ongoing. But with each step we take together, we move closer to a campus where every student has what they need to thrive.