Dear Group:
Okay, I’m confused.
Through my work with OpenStax I started receiving e-mail solicitations for homework management products that charge a student fee.
I cannot figure out how this corresponds to an Open Access philosophy. It is certainly not in the zero-cost framework that I am trying to implement, but I”m concerned that there is some funny business going on in the OpenStax community where they are providing free and open textbooks but are farming out contact lists to Tech Companies looking to disrupt the textbook market. Don’t get me wrong, I wish them well, but I’m not going to be their customer unless they give stuff to my students for no cost to them.
Has anyone else in this group encountered/ thought about this? I’d like to have a conversation with some who are perhaps more connected to the OER communities than I.
Hope summer is treating everyone well!
Josh