(1) The growth of the Internet has enabled the 
creation and sharing of open content, including open 
educational resources. 
(2) The President has proposed a new, signifi-
cant Federal investment in the creation of online 
open-source courses for community colleges that will 
make learning more accessible, adaptable, and af-
fordable for students. 
(3) The President has challenged the United 
States with a goal of having the highest college 
graduation rate in the world by 2020. 
(4) More than 80 percent of the 23,000,000 
jobs that will be created in the next 10 years will re-
quire postsecondary education, but only 36 percent 
of all 18- to 24-year-olds are currently enrolled in 
postsecondary education. 
(5) The high cost of college textbooks continues 
to be a barrier for many students in achieving high-
er education, and according to the Advisory Com-
mittee on Student Financial Assistance, 200,000 
qualified students fail to enroll in college each year 
due to cost. 
(6) The College Board reported that for the 
2007–2008 academic year an average student spent 
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an estimated $805 to $1,229 on college books and 
supplies. 
(7) Making high quality open textbooks freely 
available to the general public could significantly 
lower college textbook costs and increase accessibility 
to such education materials. 
(8) Open textbooks can improve learning and 
teaching by creating course materials that are more 
flexible, adaptable, and accessible through the use of 
technology. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the National Science Foundation. 
(2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
(3) OPEN LICENSE.—The term ‘‘open license’’ 
means an irrevocable intellectual property license 
that grants the public the right to access, customize, 
and distribute a copyrighted material. 
(4) OPEN TEXTBOOK.—The term ‘‘open text-
book’’ means a textbook or set of course materials 
in electronic format designed for use in a college 
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course at an institution of higher education that is 
licensed under an open license. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Education. 
SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—From the amounts ap-
propriated under subsection (i), the Secretary is author-
ized to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 
entities to carry out the activities described in this section, 
including creating, updating, or adapting open textbooks. 
The Secretary shall award grants in a manner that will 
result in the creation of a comprehensive slate of high 
quality course materials for introductory courses in a vari-
ety of subject areas. 
(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—In this section, the term ‘‘el-
igible entity’’ means— 
(1) an institution of higher education; 
(2) a professor or group of professors at an in-
stitution of higher education; or 
(3) a nonprofit or for-profit organization that 
produces open textbooks. 
(c) DURATION.—Grants awarded under this section 
shall be 1 year in duration. 
(d) APPLICATIONS.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity desiring 
a grant under this section shall submit an applica-
tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, 
and accompanied by such information as the Sec-
retary may reasonably require. 
(2) CONTENTS.—Each application submitted 
under paragraph (1) shall include a description of 
the project to be completed with grant funds and— 
(A) a plan for quality review and review of 
accuracy of content; 
(B) a plan for access to ensure the widest 
possible availability of the digital version of the 
open textbook; 
(C) a plan for distribution and adoption of 
the open textbook to ensure the widest possible 
adoption of the open textbook in postsecondary 
courses, including, where applicable, a mar-
keting plan or a plan to partner with for-profit 
or nonprofit organizations to assist in mar-
keting and distribution; and 
(D) a plan for tracking and reporting for-
mal adoptions of the open textbook within post-
secondary institutions, including an estimate of 
the number of students impacted by the adop-
tions. 
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(e) SPECIAL CONSIDERATION.—In awarding grants 
under this section, the Secretary shall give special consid-
eration to applications that demonstrate the greatest po-
tential to produce— 
(1) the highest quality and most marketable 
open textbooks; 
(2) open textbooks that correspond to the high-
est enrollment courses at institutions of higher edu-
cation; 
(3) open textbooks that are easily utilized by 
faculty members at institutions of higher education; 
and 
(4) open textbooks created in partnership with 
for-profit or nonprofit organizations to assist in 
marketing and distribution. 
(f) USES OF GRANTS.— 
(1) OPEN TEXTBOOKS.—An eligible entity that 
receives a grant under this section shall— 
(A) create a new open textbook for use in 
postsecondary coursework; 
(B) update an open textbook for use in 
postsecondary coursework; or 
(C) adapt a textbook into an open format 
for use in postsecondary coursework. 
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