Talk:Open textbook

Updating This Article
This article is very out of date - it's missing key examples, it references now-defunct projects and the narrative is inconsistent I have made a few edits to fix some obvious problems, but I think it needs a more comprehensive overhaul to make it more current and readable. I'm part of a Wikipedia project called [Wikipedia:Communicate_OER|Communicate OER]] to improve articles about Open Educational Resources, and I'm putting this as one of our priorities. It would be great if people could add to this section ideas for what to improve.

Just so I'm "open" about my role in all of this, I work for a non-profit consumer advocacy group that believes in open textbooks as a solution. While I definitely have a point of view on this issue, I respect that Wikipedia is about providing unbiased information to the public and believe I can contribute my expertise in an unbiased way. -- txtbks (talk) 01:11, 19 October 2012 (UTC)

I'm (21:32, 22 October 2012 (UTC)) and I'm very interested in this project too. I work for a government-funded post-secondary education organization. While I too have a position on this issue, I also respect the Wikipedia mission to provide unbiased factual information to the public. I found when I tried to publicize Canada's first open textbook government policy, the mainstream reporters knew nothing about it, and it would help if they had up-to-date information presented here if they want to do some research. I too am committed to contributing to a factual body of knowledge on this subject. — Preceding unsigned comment added by TKLAS (talk • contribs)

Industry Opposition
While I stand behind the open education philosophy 100% and think probably most of the current publishers are scumbags ... the section on industry opposition is currently in no way objectively written. The purpose of the section should be to highlight the opposition open textbooks face from established industry, but instead diverts into a tirade on Hill & Knowlton, only related to the topic tangentially at best. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not a soapbox. I am adjusting some of the wording to enhance objectively. The page will state that H&K is a controversial PR firm; if the reader wants to know why, the H&K page has all of the information they could want. (Besides, are we really going to continue to lengthen this article arbitrarily as the firm continues to do evil?) - Ltgordon (talk) 21:52, 7 January 2012 (UTC)

I second that this section is written in bias. I am going to attempt a cleanup after I do a bit of research on the history. The tone needs to be more neutral and the section needs updated sources. Ryanx7 (talk) 02:29, 7 March 2014 (UTC)

COI Declaration
Just wanted to be upfront, I have added the Saylor Foundation's Open Textbook Challenge to the projects list. I am currently employed by the foundation, but I feel that this edit is neutral and uncontroversial. If you have any concerns about this possible COI please feel free to reply here or leave a message on my talk page. MyNameWasTaken (talk) 20:53, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

Expanding the article
I work at the OpenUCT Initiative (while we don't work specifically with open textbooks, we do work with academics and provide some advice about OERs and other resources) and I am reviewing this article according to the instructions at WP:Communicate OER as a part of the WIKISOO course. I suggest changing the article in the following way: Broadening the coverage to include more non-US based information. For example, there is a great open textbook project run by Siyavula (http://projects.siyavula.com/; http://everythingmaths.co.za/; http://everythingscience.co.za/) where the textbooks are available under a CC BY license (I am not involved in the Siyavula project). I'm sure there are many other examples of such projects from all over the world, which could be included and would make this article more relevant to Wikipedia's global audience. Thanks SarahGWiki (talk) 11:49, 20 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Sounds good, but be sure that everything you add is verifiable in reliable sources. Good luck! --Randykitty (talk) 12:10, 20 August 2013 (UTC)

Goals and goal setting
Recommend ways in which a grade 11 learner may use goals to plan his /her studies .in your answer ,also indicate how that could help you to perform better in your studies 105.0.5.39 (talk) 16:52, 3 March 2024 (UTC)