Support for Open Textbooks at WUR


Summary

Learn about Open Textbooks and where to find support to create one.

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Open textbooks are flexible publications with an open licence, enabling free access, sharing, adaptation, or inclusion into other materials, often carrying an identifier like an ISBN or DOI. Open textbooks are part of a larger category of Open Educational Resources (OER).

Benefits of open textbooks:

  • Teachers can create and use materials reflecting the latest scientific insights; unlike print textbooks, they are not static.
  • Content can be adapted to fit specific courses, institutions, or student needs.
  • Feedback and errors can be quickly addressed.
  • Multimedia elements such as videos or interactive assignments can enhance student learning.
  • Students benefit from free, online, and downloadable access (PDF/ePub) and retain access after graduation, supporting lifelong learning.
  • Institutions reduce dependence on commercial publishers, avoid delivery delays, and ensure availability.

Creating an open textbook

Last year, the WUR Library partnered with Associate Professor Monica Mars on a pilot open textbook, hosted via Pressbooks. You can read more about Monica’s experience creating an Open Textbook here.

Other examples of Open Textbooks are:

Questions and support

WUR teachers interested in creating an open textbook can contact the Open Science and Education Programme for further details.

If you are curious to learn more about Open Educational Resources in general, be sure to check out the Teaching in the Open module! This step-by-step interactive module covers everything from learning how to find and reuse existing resources to understanding licensing and sharing your own teaching materials in about two hours. By doing so, you can make your knowledge accessible to learners worldwide!