Publishers are increasingly recommending the use of online learning materials, citing the positive impact of active learning systems on student performance (Pearson, 2015). At the same time, the ever-increasing cost of textbooks pose a financial burden for students, with some researchers hypothesizing that the high price of course materials may result in students opting to not purchase the text and being under-prepared for the course or taking fewer classes per semester, both resulting in a delay to graduation (Florida Virtual Campus, 2012). Current research suggests that open textbooks may improve student performance or, at worst, not adversely impact performance when compared traditional publisher materials (Fischer, Hilton, Robinson, & Wiley 2015). The aim of this study was to determine whether student performance would differ when using traditional publisher materials compared to open educational resources. Student performance, as measured by a common multiple-choice exams, was not statistically significant across courses. Midterm student feedback slightly favored the use of open resources.
