Dive Brief:
- A reprimand that California State University-Fullerton professor Alain Bourget has been fighting to overturn was upheld last week by campus President Mildred Garcia, who denied his grievance.
- The Los Angeles Times reports the decision followed the findings of a three-member faculty panel, which did not come to a conclusion about the reprimand, but criticized the school's math department for having no established process for changing textbooks — especially considering the one Bourget passed over was written by the department chairman and vice chairman.
- The panel also acknowledged Bourget went against a decision by his department to use a common textbook for the advanced algebra course, which Garcia seemed to have prioritized in her decision.
Dive Insight:
Bourget assigned a $75 textbook and free online materials in place of a $180 textbook that his department had decided would be best for the multiple sections of an advanced algebra course. The open educational resources community has been closely watching the case, helping draw in support for Bourget from all over the world, as he decided to assign OER over a traditional text that would have cost students more than twice as much money and that he found accomplished the same academic goals.
The LA Times reports Bourget is considering appealing Garcia’s ruling through arbitration or a lawsuit, and the Academic Senate is convening a committee to consider textbook use policies. Clearly, the outcomes of this case are not fixed.