Assessment of a textbook affordability initiative: A framework for measuring the impact on student enrollment and retention outcomes

Abstract

The rising costs of textbooks have prompted widespread textbook affordability initiatives in higher education. Programs that reduce student costs and offer increased access have become an integral part of campus strategic planning initiatives. In this case study, we discuss the design, implementation, and assessment of an Affordable Content grant program at a medium sized, R2, urban university. The grant was awarded with a stipulation that the system-wide program will also be assessed. The assessment of the impact and efficacy of affordable course content initiatives requires quantitative strategies often outside academic librarians' expertise. To this end, we partnered with campus stakeholders to leverage their data analysis expertise. Since randomized controlled trials are not always viable in educational research, we used the Propensity Score Matching method to ensure the groups of students were structurally similar. The results of our analysis showed a significant impact on measures of student retention. This study adds to the growing body of literature on measuring the impact of textbook affordability and offers an opportunity to further advocate campus-wide adoption of open pedagogy.