Research on OER has concentrated on studying students’ perceptions of OER course materials; reports are mixed. Existing research indicates that some students are highly satisfied with OER and become more confident participating in class as a result of usage (Collins, Mitchell, and Nojeim 2020); students may indeed prefer OER over traditional resources (Watson, Domizi, and Clouser 2017; Anderson and Cuttler 2020). Another study reports, however, that students see no difference in learning materials, regardless of whether they use OER or standard textbooks (Pfannenstiel, Redcay, and Albert 2020). Some students have actually rated OER as of lower quality compared to standard textbooks, even though they enjoyed using OER (Gurung 2017).
Research on OER’s financial impact on students suggests that it is a great way to help students save money, especially when the material quality is not compromised (Cannon and Brickman 2015; Colvard, Watson, and Park 2018; Collins et al. 2020; Oelfk et al. 2021). For many faculty, student equity is one of the reasons behind OER adoption. A study on the inequitable impact of textbooks suggests that first-generation students and Pell Grant recipients are more likely to experience negative consequences from the textbook cost barrier compared to their peers (Appedu et al. 2021). The high price of textbooks can affect how students obtain their materials. Some students resort to sharing materials with classmates; using the library’s copies or course reserves; or only purchasing some of the required materials. Others choose to take fewer courses; not register for a course; drop a course; or even accept the risk of earning a poor grade (FLVC 2018; Appedu et al. 2021).