About Open Textbooks

Open textbooks (OTB) are a kind of Open Educational Resources (OER). They originate from the open learning movement and are believed to be a response to the restriction imposed by traditional copyright on the full utilization of enormous online resources in the digital age. Adopting an open license, OER are digital resources granting users the rights to use, reuse, remix, and share; explicit permission from the original author is not required. For some licenses, users can further adapt and modify the content to their own needs, and redistribute the modified (often improved) content. In other words, by abiding to the license terms, users can use the content, and share the content with others. In short, OER are freely accessible, openly licensed documents and media which can be used for teaching, learning and assessment.

OTB are structured and coherent, and are often written in accordance to a specific curriculum or course. OTB allow teachers to tailor the content to their course in a way that caters for the students’ needs. Teachers can add supplementary materials, remove unwanted content, update information, etc. freely and easily. With such knowledge exchange and creation among peers, teachers can map out their pedagogical strategies.

A Creative Commons (CC) License is a copyright license that defines the spectrum of permissions for use between full copyright (all rights reserved) and the public domain (no rights reserved). The licenses protect authors’ rights while inviting certain uses of their work. In other words, it is a ‘some rights reserved’ copyright license.

There are six types of CC licenses stating permissions of use to different extent. All licenses require that users acknowledge original authors’ contribution.

• Find out more about Creative Commons at: http://creativecommons.org/
• Find out the six types of CC licenses and know more about their terms at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses

• Copyright

Open textbooks adopt CC licenses or other open licenses, so that most of them allow users to use, reuse, remix, and share. This means that teachers can tailor the content to cater for their students’ needs. Teachers can freely and easily add supplementary materials, remove unwanted content, update information, and so. With such knowledge exchange and creation among peers, teachers can map out their pedagogical strategies.

Traditional printed textbooks are fully copyrighted. Each user would buy their own copy of the textbook; modifications, and copying and redistributing the modified version is not allowed.

• Scope of utilization

Since some rights are granted to other users, open textbooks can be used, modified and shared freely. The content of open textbooks can be removed or supplemented by other open resources. Users can share the adapted versions to other users with appropriate credit to the author.

However, with closed copyright, users can only use the static content of traditional printed textbooks. Distributing adapted versions without explicit permission from original authors and paying copyright fee may expose the user to legal risks. From the pedagogical perspective, traditional copyright becomes an obstacle to the integration of information and communication technology in education.

• Contextualization

While open textbooks and traditional textbooks are both coherent in content and aligning to particular curricular guidelines and standards, revising and updating the content of traditional textbooks is very costly. It is also impossible for publishers to tailor textbooks to meet individual school contexts and student needs. Open textbooks, however, can be adapted by the users themselves to cater for diversity. They also help to facilitate professional development as their evolved versions can be shared among users.

• Format

Open textbooks appear in many formats, including print, PDF, ePub, HTML and audio versions. Users of open textbooks often use the free electronic version more often than the printed version. The printed version of an open textbook is usually not sold in a bookstore, unless prior arrangement has been made. Instead, printed open textbooks are printed either by on-demand printers, or through users’ own devices. Very often, only part of a printed textbook (a booklet) is produced for use on-demand, rather than having the whole book printed in advance.

Traditional printed textbooks are usually sold in bookstores. Some traditional printed textbooks now offer an electronic version, but they have to be separately purchased.

• Copyright

Open textbooks adopt CC licenses or other open licenses, so that most of them allow users to use, reuse, remix, and share. This means that teachers can tailor the content to cater for their students’ needs. Teachers can freely and easily add supplementary materials, remove unwanted content, update information, and so. With such knowledge exchange and creation among peers, teachers can map out their pedagogical strategies. Users of the electronic open textbooks have the option of obtaining a printed version of any part (page) of the textbook using their own printing facility, or through a commercial printer at a low cost.

Traditional e-textbooks are again fully copyrighted. Each user would buy their own license to access the textbook; modifications, and copying and redistributing the modified version is not allowed.

• Scope of utilization

Since some rights are granted to users, open textbooks can be used and modified freely. Contents of the open textbooks can be removed or supplemented by other open resources. Users can share open textbooks and their adapted versions for free with appropriate credit to the authors.

However, with closed copyright, users can only use the static content of the e-textbooks. Distributing adapted versions without explicit permission from the original authors and paying copyright fee may expose the user to legal risks.

• Contextualization

While open textbooks and e-textbooks are both coherent in content and aligning to particular curricular guidelines and standards, revising and updating the content of e-textbooks is very costly. It is also impossible for publishers to tailor e-textbooks to meet individual school contexts and student needs. Open textbooks, however, can be adapted by the users themselves to cater for diversity. They also help to facilitate professional development as their evolved versions can be shared among users.

• Format

Open textbooks appear many electronic formats, including print, PDF, ePub, HTML and audio versions. All these versions are made available free of charge, and users are free to obtain their printed version using the PDF files. Commercial e-textbooks usually provide just one electronic version, and the printed version is often charged separately.

It is our firm belief that the quality of the open textbooks on this website is at least comparable, if not better, than that of commercial textbooks. This belief is proven since the open textbooks for Hong Kong primary and secondary schools, Open English, have been submitted for review and approved by the Education Bureau for inclusion in the ‘Recommended Textbooks List’ similar to many other commercially published textbooks.

To ensure the quality of the open textbooks on this website, we have used the same quality assurance procedure as that for the development of course materials for our university studies, i.e., we have used a development team made up of subject experts, editors and educational technologists; we also have monitored closed the development process of the open textbooks in order to ensure that each item admitted to the system is of the highest quality.

Open textbooks offer the following benefits for teaching:

• Open textbooks are a high quality alternative for commercial textbooks.

• The printed textbooks can be obtained at a low cost, while the electronic versions are provided to teachers and students free of charge.

• For university studies, reference to open textbooks by teachers is a useful step for online access to knowledge and information, which is an important part of online learning.

• In secondary and primary schools, open textbooks provide the best transition means to move to the electronic mode of teaching and learning, as you can try out or test-run both the printed and electronic versions of a textbook in any level of usage you find comfortable.

• Along with the textbooks, you can have access to associated teaching materials developed by other experienced teachers, such as guidelines, additional exercises, and recommended activities. You can also find enormous amount of resources in the online environment for easy selection, retrieval, review, adaptation and printing for conducting your daily lessons.

• The open textbooks are learner-centred textbooks which you can adopt and/or make modifications or revisions, so as to cater for the needs of your individual classes or learners.

• In the adoption and adaption process, you can sharpen your own teaching skills in the online environment when you share resources and exchanging innovative teaching ideas, good practices and professional expertise with your peers.
   

There are many ways you can make use of the open textbooks.

• You may use them as the prescribed textbooks for your class.

• You may use them as one of the recommended readings for your class or supplementary to existing textbooks.

• You may adopt and/or adapt parts of them for use in your lessons, along with your textbook.

• You may supplement your textbook with the associated teaching and learning resources, such as supplementary exercises, discussion prompts, extended learning activities, mock tests, quizzes, etc.

• After you have used the textbook for some, you may have a good knowledge of the open textbook, so that you can remix them with other open resources to compile a new open textbook which caters for the needs of your students.

Yes. The open textbooks project will offer teacher training workshops on:

• the use of open textbooks and open learning resources;

• the methods to search, filter and select appropriate and legitimate open learning resources on the Web;

• the skills to plan, design, write, edit and digitize learning and teaching materials; and

• designing effective learning and assessment tasks.

• Your contribution is highly encouraged, and our website does allow posting of quality educational resources. We have however a vetting system which ensures the quality of the materials posted.

• Find out more about the CC licenses and their terms and conditions at: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/

The value of open textbooks lies in the knowledge-sharing among peers. By exchanging experience and works you have developed:

• you can help to reduce other teachers’ time in preparing for their school-based teaching material development;

• you inspire other teachers in innovative teaching materials and learner-based materials; and

• at the same time you receive feedback on your own work, which in turn will benefit your own professional development.

Open textbooks offer you many benefits:

• You can achieve significant savings in textbook costs, as the open textbooks are available online for free, and when you opt for hardcopies, you only pay only pay for the printing cost. With less cost, you can have both the printed and the electronic versions at the same time.

• You will find most of the open textbooks contain up-to-date content. For Open English, the content is both contemporary and relevant to you daily life. You can apply what you have learned quite readily. This book helps you learning in the most effective way.

• You can have access to the textbooks flexibly through mobile and desktop devices, as well as using the traditional printed form.