A new national survey of college faculty reveals that U.S. higher education has settled into a new, hybrid normal after the pandemic’s upheaval, with a significant and growing number of instructors now using free, customizable textbooks known as Open Educational Resources (OER).
The 2025 survey from Bay View Analytics, released this week, found that while traditional face-to-face instruction remains dominant, fully online and blended courses have become permanent fixtures. Simultaneously, faculty adoption of OER as required course materials has jumped to an all-time high of 33%, a significant increase from 26% just a year ago.
“These trends illustrate a broader acceptance of digital tools and a growing desire to address the high cost of education,” said report co-author Julia E. Seaman.
The survey, now in its 14th year, collected responses in April 2025 from 3,447 faculty members across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands, providing a comprehensive snapshot of post-pandemic teaching practices.
The data shows a stabilization of teaching formats after several years of fluctuation. In the 2024-25 academic year, 72% of faculty taught at least one fully face-to-face course, a slight dip from 75% the previous year. Blended or hybrid models held steady at 23%.
Notably, the percentage of faculty teaching at least one fully online course rose to 48%, up from 40% in 2023-24, signaling a potential resurgence in demand for remote learning options.
“Institutions have settled into hybrid models without further shifts, reflecting a balance between the advantages of in-person learning and the flexibility of online offerings,” the report stated.
The move toward digital is also evident in course materials. The survey found that 90% of required textbooks are now available in a digital format, with 29% of courses offering them exclusively digitally. Only 10% of courses use a print-only textbook, down from 19% in 2021-22.
Faculty opinions on the formats are nuanced. Seventy-seven percent agree that digital materials provide greater flexibility for students. However, 42% still believe students learn better from print, with 44% remaining neutral on the issue.
After a slight dip last year, faculty awareness of OER rebounded slightly, with 59% of faculty now reporting some level of awareness. More importantly, the use of OER is climbing rapidly.
Nearly half of all faculty (49%) now use OER in at least one of their courses, up from 41% last year. The use of OER as required materials saw the most dramatic jump, rising 7 percentage points to 33%.
“Faculty cite OER’s cost-effectiveness and adaptability as key advantages,” the authors noted. The survey found that OER materials receive more “A” grades from faculty (41%) than those from major commercial publishers (35%), though concerns about the quality and consistency of some open resources remain a barrier for some instructors.
Overall, faculty gave their chosen curriculum materials an average rating of 80%. Ratings were highest for accuracy (86%) and lowest for cost to students (71%), a persistent point of concern. A third of faculty gave the cost of their required materials a failing “F” grade.
The report concludes that higher education is navigating a “gradual return to traditional face-to-face instruction, in conjunction with a significant presence of blended and digital learning models,” with cost and accessibility driving more instructors toward digital and open-access materials.
###
Source: Bay View Analytics. “Digital and OER Texts in U.S. Higher Education, 2025.” Full report available at bayviewanalytics.com/OER.
