Open textbooks are a recent innovation in free, digital texts that can be: distributed at no cost; printed at cost price; and modified for local needs, such as to respond to gender, socio-cultural and Indigenous under-representations in the curriculum. They are an alternative to commercially produced textbooks and a form of Open Educational Resources (OER).

This project builds on international research showing that while all students can benefit, under-represented students benefit the most from having access to unrestricted copies of course materials from the first day of semester. The benefits reported from research conducted overseas include improving grades, retention, and course progress rates. This study replicates aspects of a UK national scoping study with equity-focussed additions. It uses a social justice framework to test the potential within the Australian context of achieving redistributive justice (costs to access), recognitive and representational justice (fair representation within the textbook contents).

Forty-three staff from a broad range of areas and disciplines from five universities were interviewed as part of the research: Deakin, La Trobe, RMIT, Charles Darwin and QUT. Nineteen students were also interviewed; they were enrolled in either a post-graduate business program or an undergraduate arts and education foundation unit. In addition, 131 participants completed an online survey open to any Australian university staff member with teaching responsibilities.