Timothy Lawlor, right, holding OAER certificate with Shawlen Nahar, class of 2024.
MEDIA, Pa. — Timothy Lawlor, professor of physics at Penn State Brandywine, was honored with Penn State’s Open and Affordable Education Resources (OAER) Champions Award at the end of the spring semester. A collaboration between Penn State University Libraries and the University-wide OAER Working Group, the OAER Champion Award began as a pilot initiative in 2022 and seeks to recognize excellence, innovation and impact in open educational practices at Penn State campuses.
As a first-generation college student, Lawlor knows the difficulty of affording textbooks, so in 2013, he started looking for ways to make his textbooks less expensive for students, he said.
“When I was a college student, I remember the sticker shock when I picked up some of my math and physics textbooks, and that memory really stuck with me. I wanted to make sure all my students can afford the textbooks they need for class,” he said.
In 2017, Lawlor discovered the OpenStax collective, which Rice University created with physicists all over the country. According to Lawlor, the collective wrote a series of textbooks, and because it was grant-funded, they were put online as PDF versions and free for all users. Lawlor now uses the OpenStax collective textbooks with all his courses.
“The OpenStax Collective doesn’t have just physics — they have almost any topic at first- and second-year levels. There are also hard copies available if students want them for far cheaper than old physics textbooks," he said.
Once members of the Brandywine community learned about Lawlor having free textbooks for students, he was nominated for the OAER Champion Award. He received the award at the 2024 Faculty and Staff Awards Luncheon in April. He said he enjoys using the platform because of how much he’s seen it evolve over the past seven years.
“Since 2017, the quality of the textbook has gotten so much better. Bugs and typos have been fixed,” he said. “I also really like that it has allowed me to provide affordable resources for students. Having a free textbook removes those hurdles for students who may not be able to afford to buy textbooks.”
Currently, four physics professors — including Lawlor — use the OpenStax Collective with their students because of his recommendation.
“When new physics professors come in, they ask me what textbook I use, and I tell them about OpenStax. It’s great knowing that more Brandywine students can get their textbooks for free,” he said.
Aside from the textbook being free, he noted that his students really enjoy how interactive the textbooks are in the collective. There are simulation and video links embedded into the text for students to glance at to get a better understanding of the material.
