Equity

Check out the PASSHE Connectivity Bulletin Article by Loretta MacAlpine “PA-ADOPT: Four System Schools Collaborate to Close Equity Gap” The article discusses that the State System has maintained frozen tuition for four years but faces a challenge with expensive textbooks, especially for Pell-eligible students. To address this, a consortium of four universities in Pennsylvania established the PA-ADOPT program. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, this initiative aims to create Open Educational Resources (OER) and open electronic textbooks. The program focuses on STEM-H and high-enrollment writing courses. Led by Marc Drumm from West Chester University, faculty members are trained to develop quality eTextbooks, aiming to save students an estimated $400 annually. These eTextbooks will be openly licensed for wider use and modification. The project, targeting more than the initially proposed 24 eTextbooks, is set to conclude in August 2024, funded by a $918,000 grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).