Affordable Learning Materials and Open Educational Resources

OER Definition

OER are Open Educational Resources.

Open educational resources (OER) are free, openly licensed materials that users can retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute at any time.

ALM Definition

ALM are Affordable Learning Materials. For Boise State these are defined as Open Educational Resources, Open Access Content, and Library Licensed Content.

Benefits of OER

Students gain many benefits from the use of OER. At Boise State, we believe every student deserves access to high-quality, affordable learning materials from day one. Open Educational Resources (OER)—free, openly licensed textbooks and course materials—remove cost barriers while opening the door to better teaching, deeper learning, and improved student success.

The research is clear: OER not only saves students money—it helps them succeed. A national multi-institutional study conducted by AAC&U (covering 674,191 student records) found that OER reduces the predicted likelihood of course withdrawal by 1.61% and the odds of a student withdrawing from a course decrease by 20% when OER is implemented. This means students are more likely to stay in—and complete—courses that use OER.

OER contributes to improved learning outcomes, lifelong learning benefits, and broader access to knowledge. OER adoption significantly improves student grades and reduces failure and withdrawal rates. This positive impact is particularly notable among Pell grant recipients, part-time students, and historically underserved populations. (Source: Colvard, N.B., Watson, C.E., and Park, H.. (2018). The Impact of Open Educational Resources on Various Student Success Metrics. International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 30(2), 262-276. View the Impact of Enrollment in an OER Course on Student Learning Outcomes.

The Affordable Learning Materials Steering Committee is a group of faculty, staff and students that works to improve access to affordable learning materials, including open education resources, for students at Boise State University. In supporting educators in the use of affordable learning materials and working to improve ease of access to affordable learning materials for students, the Learning Materials Steering Committee advocates for an equitable, inclusive university that centers the needs of students in the creation and selection of course materials.

In 2021/2022, the university formed a task force to develop a plan in response to Policy III. U. In. 2022/2023, this large group was re-formed as a smaller group to move implementation forward. This group, the Learning Materials Steering Committee, involves broad representation from across the university from units that have a role in affordable learning materials and open educational resources. In addition, the committee invited 3 student representatives to provide a student perspective on all aspects of the work of the committee. These students began attending regularly in the Spring ‘23 semester, and will continue to do so in future meetings (with new students invited in as committee members graduate):

Steering Committee Members 2025-2026

• Amy Vecchione, co-chair (Assistant Director of Research and Innovation, eCampus Center)
• Daniel Sanford, co-chair (Director, Center for Teaching & Learning)
• Christina Nava (Educational Development Consultant, Center for Teaching & Learning)
• Mandy Nelson (Registrar, Registrar’s Office)
• Kimber Shaw (Associate Registrar, Registrar’s Office)
• Marlena Hooyboer (Library Specialist, Manager, Albertsons Library)
• Michal Jarolimek (Bronco Shop Director)
• Alex Manning (Student)
• Hans Aagard (Research and Innovation Consultant, eCampus Center, OER focus) 
• Jeremy Harper (Employee Development Specialist, Community, Engagement and Belonging, Office of the Provost)
• Jennifer Marsh (Clinical Associate Professor, School of Nursing)
• Jeff Lingwall (Associate Professor, College of Business and Economics, Faculty Senate)
• Leif Nelson (Executive Director, Learning Technology Solutions & Research Computing, Office of Information Technology)
• Jennifer Jayne (Academic Planning Project Coordinator, Senior, Office of the Provost)

Action Plans

2024 -2025 ALM Action Plan 

Boise State University: Affordable Learning Initiative Action Plan (23-24)

2023 Affordable Learning Initiative Action Plan

Annual Reports 

Boise State University: Annual Report, Instructional Materials Access and Affordability (2024)

Boise State University: Annual Report, Instructional Materials Access and Affordability (AY 22/23)