My main premise for an assortment of forthcoming business models is to position OER core curriculum product package as having a greatly reduced cost as opposed to being “free” and to use the proceeds to fund the work needed to make sure that these valuable, high quality instructional materials are adopted and used effectively.
I realize that this rubs some the wrong way, but bear with me.
My reasons for suggesting this are several:
- Without some revenue flow, business models are fundamentally unsustainable.
- Most school districts do not buy primarily on price (and even where this is an issue, this would still be the clear low price option).
- Price can indicate value, and “free” can be a negative.
- Paying something tends to establish buy-in and commitment.
- Without some revenue flow, business models are fundamentally unsustainable. (It’s not a mistake that I list that twice.)
Also, note that the main digital assets would still be available for free, but the marketing focus would be on a package with an associated price.
The next post will be about different ways that the product and related package price might be configured.
(This is a part of a series on business models for OER K-12 core curriculum.)