Pick a Path OER Game: Helping Students Find Affordable Course Materials

Abstract

The uOttawa Library’s Textbook Broke campaigns and the student union’s submission to the university’s budget consultations show that students are preoccupied with the amount of money they spend on required course materials. They also show limited knowledge of alternatives, including OER, especially among first-year students. The Library offered two workshops on how to save on textbooks. While poorly attended, the content still proved valuable. Seeking to reach out to its intended audience in a user-friendly and entertaining fashion, student employees developed a “choose your own adventure” game where players take on the role of a student starting a new semester with a list of required textbooks and a budget. Designed to engage and educate students on affordable alternatives, the game presents plausible scenarios where they must navigate the textbook market and make decisions about how to spend their money and when to turn to the Open Education Librarian for assistance.