The publishing industry as a whole struggles with diversity.
79.6% of writers and authors in the United States are White (Writers&Authors).
Surveying 153 companies, it was found that 76% of publishing staff, review journal staff, and literary agents are also White (Leeandlowbooks).
This lack of representation in the publishing industry impacts the materials created.
"A McGraw Hill Education K-12 textbook, for example, came under fire in 2015 for labeling enslaved people “workers.” In 2017, a nursing textbook published by Pearson was accused of propagating stereotypes because of controversial advice on how to evaluate patients based on their cultural background" (McKenzie, L.).
Education needs materials from different experiences and viewpoints. Many barriers exist in getting published that can prevent new and exciting content from reaching the published market. Open publishing can be a way to bypass those barriers.
Open publishing accepts works that can allow for derivatives that can add diversity to a topic. Faculty, students, and others remixed existing texts to create the open textbook Human Nutrition, which addresses Hawaiian, Pacific and Asian issues as well! (Walz, 2018).
Sites like the Open Textbook Library give guidance on not only how to publish, but also how to review or remix open materials to create an open textbook.
Grinnell College commits to diversity and social responsibility, OER serves both in creating materials that are not behind pay barriers and allowing for more diverse writers and creators. The more people that participate in OER, the more quality and diversity we will see in the materials.
If you would like to know more about OER, please contact Kayla Reed at reedkayla@grinnell.edu.
Leeandlowbooks. (2022, March 14). Where is the diversity in publishing? the 2019 Diversity Baseline Survey Results. Lee & Low Blog. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://blog.leeandlow.com/2020/01/28/2019diversitybaselinesurvey/
McKenzie, L. (2021, February 26). Publisher Pearson tries to tackle systemic racism in Higher ed. Publisher Pearson tries to tackle systemic racism in higher ed. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/02/26/publisher-pearson-tries-tackle-systemic-racism-higher-ed
Walz, A. (2018, July 25). Chapter 23 – valuing open textbooks: Derivatives, adaptation, and remix. The Evolution of Affordable Content Efforts in the Higher Education Environment Programs Case Studies and Examples. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://open.lib.umn.edu/affordablecontent/chapter/valuing-open-textbooks-derivatives-adaptation-and-remix/
The practice of involving students with course development is not a new one, but one that higher education as a collective moved away from some time ago. Recently, the practice of Open Pedagogy has been reviving the concept. Open Pedagogy has been given foundational values in the past, "Autonomy and interdependence; freedom and responsibility; democracy and participation" (Admin, Lalonde C, Etc.). Those very values are at the core of a Grinnell Education.
From: Mission and Values
For more information and examples of Open Pedagogy, visit the page here!
Admin, Lalonde, C., Admin, Coolidge, A., Morgan, T., Pingback: Luke, J., McGuire, D., Presant, D., Bates, T., & Ensor, S. (2019, October 3). Open pedagogy and a very brief history of the concept. Explorations in the ed tech world. Retrieved October 13, 2022, from https://homonym.ca/uncategorized/open-pedagogy-and-a-very-brief-history-of-the-concept/
