Why look at textbooks
Big words such as “revolutionizing” are common in writing about open resources. A concrete example is more useful than a slogan, and the open textbook is the clearest one. It is a full-length book, released under an open license, that teachers can use, copy, adapt and share without asking permission and, typically, without a fee for the digital version. Looking at what that does and does not achieve is a good way to judge the larger claims.
The cost argument
The most obvious effect is on cost. Conventional textbooks can be expensive, and the price is a real burden for many students. Open textbooks usually remove the price of the digital copy, and printed copies are often offered at the cost of printing. That can matter a great deal to students on tight budgets, and it affects whether some students buy a required book at all.
Some caution is needed:
- Savings depend on what the course would otherwise have used. If a course already relied on a cheap or library-provided text, the gain is smaller.
- A free book does not remove all costs. Staff time is needed to select, adapt and support it, and some courses depend on paid homework or assessment systems that sit around the book.
- Figures quoted in news stories vary by place, subject and method, and many are estimates. Treat very precise numbers without a source with suspicion.
- Cost is not the same as learning. Having the book at no cost can help students keep up, but it does not by itself make teaching better.
A fair summary is that cost savings are the best-supported benefit of open textbooks, and the size of the benefit depends on the local situation.
The freedom to adapt
Cost is the headline, but adaptation is the feature that sets an open textbook apart from a free-to-read one. Because the license permits changes, an instructor can:
- Remove chapters the course does not cover.
- Reorder material to match the syllabus.
- Replace examples with local or more relevant ones.
- Fix errors and add clarifications.
- Translate sections for a different language group.
- Convert the book into other forms, such as a printable course pack or an accessible edition.
This freedom is real, but it takes effort. An adaptation needs someone with the subject knowledge and the time. It also needs the editable source files. A book distributed only as a locked PDF restricts you in practice, whatever the license says. Check the license conditions as well: a share-alike requirement means your adapted version must carry the same license, and a no-derivatives condition would prevent adaptation entirely.
Adapting also means taking on responsibility. If you change the content, you are responsible for its accuracy, and you should note clearly what you changed and credit the original authors.
The quality question
Doubts about quality are reasonable and worth taking seriously. People worry that a free book may be less rigorous than a commercially published one. The honest answer is that quality varies in both directions.
Some open textbooks go through a peer review or editorial process similar to commercial books, with expert reviewers and published review statements. Others are written by one person with little outside checking. Commercial textbooks also vary. So the question is not “open or not”, but what review process this particular book went through.
Practical signs to look for:
- Named authors with relevant expertise, and a stated review process.
- A recent publication or revision date and a record of corrections.
- Clear learning objectives, practice questions and answers.
- Whether other instructors have used it and what they said, bearing in mind that anecdotes are not evidence.
- Whether it matches your syllabus without heavy editing.
Studies comparing student results with open and conventional textbooks exist, but findings are mixed and depend on context, and it is easy to be misled by studies that cannot separate the effect of the book from everything else that changed. Be careful of anyone who promises better grades from switching.
Other practical doubts
Currency. Fast-moving fields need frequent updates. A maintained open textbook with a named editorial team can keep pace; an abandoned one cannot. Look at when it was last updated.
Supporting materials. Commercial textbooks often come with slides, test banks and online homework. Open books may offer fewer of these, or leave you to build them. Some instructors find this the main practical obstacle.
Format and access. Check that the book works on the devices your students have, and that it has accessibility features such as structure, alternative text for images and readable math. Offline access matters for students with limited internet.
Printing. Some students prefer paper. If printing is offered, check the cost and whether students can afford it.
What the example suggests
Open textbooks show that open resources can lower a specific barrier, cost, and can give teachers real control over their material. They do not show that openness alone transforms education. Learning still depends on good teaching, student effort, time and support, and the resource is one ingredient among many.
If you are considering an open textbook for a course, a sensible approach is modest: compare two or three candidates against your syllabus, read the license and review statement, read a sample chapter and its exercises, and pilot it in one section before committing fully. Then ask your students what worked, and be prepared to adjust.