Professor Femia has been teaching at MCC for the last 25 years and started using OER in his courses five years ago. Students in his Intro to Business, Principles of Marketing, and Principles of Macroeconomics classes benefit from OER by having immediate access to materials, it saves them money, and it’s easy to access online text.
The high cost of textbooks is what prompted Professor Femia to use OER and he has received positive feedback from students, saying that they appreciate saving money. He sees a connection with OER and equity because in the past, he has lost students in his courses who were embarrassed about not being able to afford the book. He believes “we should be doing our part as professors to help these students pursue other opportunities on campus instead of missing those chances because they are working harder to afford expensive textbooks.”
For faculty considering adopting OER for their courses, Professor Femia advises “It is not difficult to do, and the materials are readily available. They are not inferior; they are just as good and actually better than a physical book. Once you do one course, you will want to do it in all your courses!”
Professor Femia, we appreciate your commitment to OER!