BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

Senate Research Center	H.B. 3652
86R11451 JRJ-D	By: Turner, Chris et al. (Creighton)
	Higher Education
	5/14/2019
	Engrossed

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

 

In the last few years, textbook costs for college students have skyrocketed. The College Board estimates that the average student spends more than $1,200 on books and materials. This cost sometimes exceeds the cost of tuition for some universities, especially community colleges. In order to tackle this issue, many institutions have started to use open educational resources (OER), which are freely accessible, openly licensed digital assets that greatly reduce the costs for instructional materials that students would need to pay.

 

While open educational resources are gaining in popularity, these resources are often decentralized, making it hard for some universities to gain information or access. H.B. 3652 would ask the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to contract with a high-quality OER repository to create a state repository for open educational resources, which will provide access to a wide range of learning materials, such as textbooks, full courses, course materials, modules, images, videos, assessment software and other tools and materials. Additionally, this bill would ensure that all resources developed with state funds be made available under a Creative Commons license and submitted for use as an open educational resource.

 

H.B. 3652 amends current law relating to the creation of a state repository for open educational resources by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

 

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

 

SECTION 1. Amends �Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, by adding Section 61.0670, as follows:

 

Sec. 61.0670.� STATE REPOSITORY OF OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES. (a)� Defines "open educational resource" for purposes of this section.

 

(b) Requires the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) to contract with a high-quality open educational resource repository to develop and maintain a web portal customized to meet the needs of individual institutions of higher education, students, and others who may benefit from access to open educational resources.

 

(c) Requires open educational resources available through the portal to be searchable by course or learning outcome, program or field of study, marketable skills, college readiness, and other topics as determined by THECB.

 

(d) Require the portal to provide access to repositories maintaining a wide range of open educational resources, including textbooks, full courses, course materials, modules, images, videos, assessment software, and any other tools, materials, or techniques used to support learning.

 

(e) Requires resources developed with state funds to be made available under a Creative Commons license and submitted for use as an open educational resource through a repository available through the portal. Authorizes a publisher to submit instructional materials for inclusion in a repository available through the portal.

 

(f) Authorizes THECB to request the assistance of the Learning Technology Advisory Committee to establish, maintain, and market the web portal required under this section.

 

SECTION 2. Requires THECB, not later than September 1, 2020, to develop the web portal required under Section 61.0670, Education Code, as added by this Act.

 

SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 2019.