{{Short description|Educational technology initiative}} {{distinguish|OpenStack}} {{Use American English|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox website | name = OpenStax | logo = Openstax logo.svg | screenshot = | caption = | collapsible = | collapsetext = | url = [https://openstax.org/ openstax.org] | commercial = | type = Open educational resources | registration = | headquarters = Rice University<br />Houston, Texas, United States | language = English, Spanish, Polish | content_license = Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://openstax.org/license |title=OpenStax |access-date=2019-10-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003215447/https://openstax.org/license |archive-date=2019-10-03 |url-status=live }}</ref> | owner = Rice University | launch_date = {{Start date|2012}} | revenue = Nonprofit funded by foundation grants and commercial services<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=2019-10-26|title=How a University Took on the Textbook Industry – EdSurge News|url=https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-10-24-how-a-university-took-on-the-textbook-industry|date=2019-10-24|website=EdSurge|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026164537/https://www.edsurge.com/news/2019-10-24-how-a-university-took-on-the-textbook-industry|archive-date=2019-10-26|url-status=live}}</ref> | alexa = | current_status = Active }} '''OpenStax''' (formerly '''OpenStax College''') is a nonprofit educational technology initiative based at Rice University that produces peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks for undergraduate education.
Founded in 2012, OpenStax publishes digital textbooks and low-cost print editions under Creative Commons licenses, with the goal of reducing the cost of higher education. Their materials are used internationally across a wide range of disciplines including science, mathematics, social sciences, and business.
== History == OpenStax has created peer-reviewed, openly licensed textbooks, which are available as free downloadable PDFs, web versions, audiobooks and for a low cost in print. Most books are also available in Kindle versions on Amazon.com and in the iBooks Store. OpenStax's first textbook was ''College Physics'', which was published online, in print, and in iBooks in 2012. OpenStax launched OpenStax Tutor Beta in June 2017, adaptive courseware based on cognitive science principles, machine learning, and OpenStax content. However, it was announced in October 2022 that Tutor was being discontinued.<ref>{{Cite web |title=OpenStax Tutor Discontinuing, but support and resources remain available! |url=https://openstax.org/blog/openstax-tutor-discontinuing-but-support-and-resources-remain-available |access-date=2022-10-06 |website=openstax.org |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-10-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006145923/https://openstax.org/blog/openstax-tutor-discontinuing-but-support-and-resources-remain-available |url-status=live }}</ref>
The initiative was positioned as an alternative to traditional commercial textbook publishing,<ref name=IHE>{{cite web|last=Smith|first=Mitch|title=Why Pay for Intro Textbooks?|url=http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/02/07/rice-university-announces-open-source-textbooks|work=Inside Higher Ed|accessdate=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616014855/http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/02/07/rice-university-announces-open-source-textbooks|archive-date=16 June 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=TechCrunch>{{cite web|last=Coldewey|first=Devin|title=Rice University And OpenStax Announce First Open-Source Textbooks|url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/02/07/rice-university-and-openstax-announce-first-open-source-textbooks/|work=TechCrunch|date=7 February 2012 |accessdate=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130521220059/http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/07/rice-university-and-openstax-announce-first-open-source-textbooks/|archive-date=21 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> and was initially funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Michelson 20 Million Minds Foundation, and the Maxfield Foundation.<ref name=IHE /><ref name=forbes>{{cite web|last=Robe|first=Johnathan|title=Free College Textbooks: Wave of the Future?|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ccap/2012/02/09/free-college-textbooks-wave-of-the-future/|work=Forbes|accessdate=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808022236/http://www.forbes.com/sites/ccap/2012/02/09/free-college-textbooks-wave-of-the-future/|archive-date=8 August 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=NYTimes>{{cite news|last=Guttenplan|first=D.D.|title=Big Savings for U.S. Students in Open-Source Book Program|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/us/big-savings-for-us-students-in-open-source-book-program.html?_r=0|work=New York Times|date=12 February 2012 |accessdate=24 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402203819/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/us/big-savings-for-us-students-in-open-source-book-program.html?_r=0|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> All textbook content is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Licenses; specifically, the books are available under the CC BY license (except for Calculus, which is available under CC BY-NC-SA), which means that instructors are able to use, adapt, and remix the content, as long as they attribute OpenStax.
In 2017, OpenStax announced that they were partnering with UK Open Textbooks to spread the use of their open content in the UK,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.rice.edu/2017/09/12/rice-university-based-openstax-partners-with-uk-open-textbooks-2/|title=Rice University-based OpenStax partners with UK Open Textbooks|website=news.rice.edu|language=en-US|access-date=2018-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180920235053/http://news.rice.edu/2017/09/12/rice-university-based-openstax-partners-with-uk-open-textbooks-2/|archive-date=2018-09-20|url-status=live}}</ref> and partnering with Katalyst Education to form OpenStax Polska, bringing Polish-language versions of select OpenStax books to universities in Poland.
As of January 2024, OpenStax reported that their products have saved $2.9 billion in education costs since 2012, and that 7 million students from 150 countries and 70 percent of higher education institutions in the US use OpenStax.<ref>{{Cite web|title=OpenStax|url=https://openstax.org/impact|access-date=2024-01-18|website=openstax.org|archive-date=2024-02-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204221427/https://openstax.org/impact|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Editorial process == While OpenStax textbooks undergo peer review prior to publication, like many large-scale educational resources they are periodically revised to address reported errors and clarify content. OpenStax maintains a public errata process and releases updated editions when substantive revisions are made.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}}
The free, online version of OpenStax books are kept up-to-date on an ongoing basis. Instructors are invited to submit errata suggestions via the OpenStax website, and errata suggestions are reviewed by subject matter experts. Revisions are made when it is determined to be pedagogically necessary. New PDFs and print versions of the books are released each summer when substantial changes are present.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://openstax.org/blog/openstax-revisions|title=OpenStax Revisions|last=Palmiotto|first=Anthony|date=2017-04-27|website=OpenStax.org|access-date=2019-01-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108050104/https://openstax.org/blog/openstax-revisions|archive-date=2019-01-08|url-status=live}}</ref>
OpenStax's original goal was to publish openly licensed textbooks for the 25 highest-enrolled undergraduate college courses: they achieved that goal in 2016. In September 2020 they announced plans to double the number of textbooks they offer.<ref>{{cite web | title = OpenStax to Double OER Textbooks | url = https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/09/11/openstax-double-oer-textbooks | access-date = 2020-09-11 | archive-date = 2020-09-11 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200911210602/https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/09/11/openstax-double-oer-textbooks | url-status = live }}</ref>
==See also== * LibreTexts * Open educational resources * OpenCourseWare * OpenStax CNX * Open Course Library * Open.Michigan * Rice University Press, Rice's all-digital platform based on the Connexions technology * Wikiversity, a Wikimedia Foundation project, devoted to learning materials and activities
==Notes== {{reflist|30em}}
==External links== {{sister project|project=Wikiversity|text=OpenStax resources on Wikiversity}} * [https://openstax.org/ OpenStax official website] * [https://www.ted.com/talks/richard_baraniuk_the_birth_of_the_open_source_learning_revolution TED Talk dated 2006-02] Founder Richard Baraniuk discussing Connexions * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsmzEtv_cKE American Astronomical Society video on the OpenStax Astronomy Textbook] Interview with Lead Author Andrew Fraknoi * [https://audileo.com Audileo, OpenStax‘s technology partner for its audio textbooks]
Category:American educational websites Category:Open educational resources Category:Rice University Category:2012 establishments in Texas Category:Educational publishing companies Category:Educational publishing companies of the United States Category:Textbook publishing companies Category:American organizations established in 2012