The presentation provides a comparison between academic achievement in two Introduction to Psychology courses--one using an open-source textbook and one using a publisher's textbook. The comparison will include mid-term grades, DWF rates, and student satisfaction. Our first goal for this project is to provide affordable learning options for students, who have to purchase expensive textbooks throughout their college career. Our second aim is to conduct an empirical investigation examining the effects adopting an open-source textbook have on student attitudes and performance (e.g., end-of-course grades, DWF reports) compared to students who are using a traditional textbook. Specifically, we aim to better understand the benefits and challenges of adopting a free, open-source text in a required course. This presentation will highlight the differences in the two sections of Introduction of Psychology at the midterm of the spring 2015 semester.
