4 Students
Open and affordable course markings are grounded in the idea of transparently communicating course material costs to students so they can make informed decisions when enrolling in classes. Enabling student agency is an important step in increasing the potential for students to succeed in their academic and professional careers. This chapter explores the role of student agency in higher education and opportunities for involving students in course marking initiatives.
| Context | The main user group of any course marking endeavor as they employ the open and affordable course marking system throughout their registration process. Use course markings to help make educated decisions about which classes to enroll in and the potential financial impact of those classes’ course materials. |
| Opportunities | Students can assist with building more meaningful and effective markings via beta testing and focus groups. Student interest may also help with getting other stakeholders on board. |
| Challenges | Students may not be aware of the new markings or have the time or desire to explore for additional information when focusing on registration, which may be a stressful time. Outreach is especially important to ensure students are aware of the new markings, what they mean, and how to use them. They also may not be aware of OER or how to access the materials, so education about the materials themselves should be done in tandem. |
| Noteworthy | As the main beneficiary of any course marking initiative, students may be able to rally support for course marking initiatives and OER generally in ways that faculty and staff cannot. Engaging students in discussions about course marking can be a useful entry for having more extensive conversations with them about course material costs and the benefits of OER. |
Student Agency
“Agency,” broadly defined, relates to “the socioculturally mediated capacity to act” (Ahearn 2001). Literature on student agency in education tends to focus on agency as empowerment and choice in classroom contexts, specifically as it relates to the role students play in their own learning. For example, Lindgren and McDaniel define agency as “the power of the individual to choose what happens next” and discuss it in the context of a nonlinear pathway through an online learning environment (2012). However, George Kuh and colleagues extend students’ “responsibility for their own learning” beyond the classroom in Student Success in College, including an example from Evergreen State College of students contributing to the development of courses and program themes by offering feedback on curricular proposals posted to public spaces (2005, 167-68). Student advocates also cite agency as a benefit of open educational resources (OER), pointing to the flexibility students frequently experience with OER in making format and access decisions in contrast with the increasing rigidity of the commercial resource market.
For the purposes of this book, th