What is the estimated student savings represented by the statewide no-cost/low-cost schedule designation mandated by Oregon’s HB 2871?
In the post Estimating student savings from no-cost/low-cost course materials, I discussed approaches to tracking student savings data and offered some templates that can be used or modified for this purpose. I pointed out that:
In Oregon, the student savings that is not associated with program spending is like the dark matter that makes up most of the universe – we have a high level of faculty awareness and many instructors choose to use no-cost or low-cost course materials on their own, without receiving a grant or stipend.
This post pilots a method of answering this research question in which each campus estimates student savings using the method that is the best fit for them. The statewide estimate aggregates the data reported irrespective of method; the institutional breakdowns that follow clarify which method was used at each participating college or university.
Statewide Estimate
Out of Oregon’s 24 public colleges and universities, 9 were able to provide data for this report: 8 colleges and 1 university. It is useful to consider the number of students represented by these institutions in order to put the reporting in context.
Student enrollment is represented by 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount data provided by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission Office of Research and Data. Fall, fourth week enrollment is the data that is provided by both colleges and universities; using headcount rather than full-time equivalent shows how many individual students may see impact from no-cost/low-cost courses.
- 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for the participating institutions: 27,049
- 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment for all Oregon colleges and universities: 216,190
In round numbers, about 1/3 of Oregon’s colleges and universities shared data for this report, representing about 15% of fall headcount enrollment in the state. The courses with the no-cost and low-cost designation in the schedule at these institutions are estimated to have saved over 30,000 students in 2,000 course sections approximately $3 million in one academic year.
| Term | # Sections | # Students | Estimated Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | 701 | 12,670 | $1,087,728.69 |
| Winter 2018 | 603 | 10,185 | $944,657.74 |
| Spring 2018 | 711 | 10,808 | $984,563.51 |
| Total | 2,015 | 33,663 | $3,016,949.94 |
Does this mean that if all 24 colleges and universities reported, then the estimated savings represented by courses with the no-cost/low-cost designation would be $20M? In my opinion, we don’t have enough information to make this claim. I’m going to make a second attempt at answering this research question in the spring, requesting two years of reporting and aiming for 100% participation.
Per Institution Breakdown
The statewide estimate combines data collected via various methods, reflecting local needs and decision-making at each campus. The sections below show how each reporting institution arrived at their savings numbers.
Blue Mountain Community College
Blue Mountain Community College provided a spreadsheet that aggregates savings for the 2017-18 academic year. Savings estimates will be broken out per quarter for the 2019-19 academic year. BMCC used $100 as the savings estimate for no-cost courses, and $75 as the savings estimate for one known low-cost course (new text is $25). The 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount for BMCC was 2,766.
| Term | # Sections | # Students | Estimated Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Winter 2018 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Spring 2018 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Total | 395 | 5,167 | $513,725 |
Central Oregon Community College
The Office of Institutional Effectiveness at Central Oregon Community College provided a spreadsheet with 4th-week enrollment numbers for courses with low-cost or no-cost materials. COCC used $100 as the savings estimate for no-cost courses, and $60 as the savings estimate for low-cost courses (because their low-cost threshold is $40). The 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount for COCC was 7,504.
| Term | # Sections | # Students | Estimated Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | 247 | 3,645 | $329,020 |
| Winter 2018 | 205 | 3,079 | $265,740 |
| Spring 2018 | 321 | 4,122 | $369,600 |
| Total | 773 | 10,846 | $964,360 |
Clackamas Community College
Curriculum & Scheduling at Clackamas Community College provided a spreadsheet with the data used to determine savings in LCT (no-cost and low-cost) courses. The costs savings was determined by the following formula: (MAX LOWEST BOOK COST OPTION PREV TERM – MAX LOWEST BOOK COST OPTION LCT TERM) X # students enrolled in LCT term. In some cases the formula results in a negative cost savings. For example, if a section had no text and now has a $20 text, it will still be a LCT section, but the students are now paying $20 more than they would have a year ago. That non-savings has been included in the numbers below. The 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount for CCC was 13,094.
| Term | # Sections | # Students | Estimated Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | 0 | 0 | $0 |
| Winter 2018 | 153 | 3,267 | $135,772.59 |
| Spring 2018 | 208 | 3,236 | $161,835.24 |
| Total | 361 | 6,503 | $297,608 |
Columbia Gorge Community College
Columbia Gorge Community College was one of Oregon’s earliest adopters of a schedule designation. Library Director John Schoppert shared savings data going back to CGCC’s very earliest OER tracking efforts, showing that since 2011, in 627 sections, 9,163 students have saved an estimated $916,300. CGCC uses the $100 multiplier to estimate savings. The 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount for CGCC was 1,268.
| Term | # Sections | # Students | Estimated Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | 65 | 1,037 | $103,700 |
| Winter 2018 | 83 | 1,297 | $129,700 |
| Spring 2018 | 76 | 1,019 | $101,900 |
| Total | 224 | 3,353 | $335,300 |
Linn-Benton Community College
At Linn-Benton Community College, Michaela Willi Hooper, OER/Textbook Affordability Librarian, identifies courses using OER, library resources, and free resources to replace materials that students have to pay for individually by collecting data from the bookstore, syllabi, and faculty inquiries. She pulls enrollment data from the SIS and calculates savings based on historic new textbook prices at the college store. The 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount for LBCC was 8,597.
| Term | # Sections | # Students | Estimated Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | 139 | 3,439 | $444,863.29 |
| Winter 2018 | 114 | 2,785 | $382,232.63 |
| Spring 2018 | 115 | 2,581 | $326,424.34 |
| Total | 368 | 8,805 | $1,153,520.26 |
Mt. Hood Community College
Mt. Hood Community College calculates savings by looking at the average cost in 2016/2017 of a specific course that is now offered as a no-cost or low-cost section and multiplying this by the enrollment of those no-cost or low-cost sections. For low-cost sections, the current cost was assumed to be an average of $25. Average textbook cost per section per student was the price of a new textbook at the college bookstore. Data were collected and summarized by Analytics and Institutional Research (AIR), Mt. Hood Community College. The 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount for MHCC was 9,381.
| Term | # Sections | # Students | Estimated Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | 225 | 3,626 | $118,869.40 |
| Winter 2018 | 170 | 2,485 | $115,306.11 |
| Spring 2018 | 110 | 1,548 | $62,494.17 |
| Total | 505 | 7,659 | $296,669.68 |
Portland State University
Portland State University provided savings data resulting from use of faculty-authored open textbooks (published by PDXOpen), as well as one known OpenStax adoption. Faculty provided cost of previous textbooks and enrollment numbers. The 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount for PSU was 27,305.
| Term | # Sections | # Students | Estimated Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | n/a | 346 | $38,976 |
| Winter 2018 | n/a | 108 | $14,479 |
| Spring 2018 | n/a | 313 | $36,495 |
| Total | n/a | 767 | $89,950 |
Southwestern Oregon Community College
Southwestern Oregon Community College’s institutional researcher prepared a report showing all classes marked as LC (low-cost) or NC (no-cost) in Jenzabar, the student information system, along with student enrollments per section. The higher course and enrollment numbers for spring term reflect progress in moving from pilot to full implementation with the course schedule designation. SOCC used $100 as the savings estimate for no-cost courses, and $50 as the savings estimate for low-cost courses (because their low-cost threshold is $50). The 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount for SOCC was 3,376.
| Term | # Sections | # Students | Estimated Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | 7 | 161 | $10,700 |
| Winter 2018 | 10 | 157 | $9,800 |
| Spring 2018 | 80 | 1,096 | $74,750 |
| Total | 97 | 1,414 | $95,250 |
Umpqua Community College
Librarians at Umpqua Community College pull an enrollment report for courses with the no-cost attribute from the student information system, then multiply enrollment by $100 to estimate savings. The 2017 Fall, Fourth Week Headcount for UCC was 3,295.
| Term | # Sections | # Students | Estimated Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2017 | 18 | 416 | $41,600 |
| Winter 2018 | 21 | 274 | $27,400 |
| Spring 2018 | 9 | 129 | $12,900 |
| Total | 48 | 819 | $81,900 |
Data sources
No-Cost/Low-Cost Course Savings Data
Oregon Community College Fall, Fourth Week Headcount Enrollment, 2012-2018
