UAA Textbook Affordability

The cost of textbooks and course materials plays a major role in the cost of a college education, and the high cost of these materials directly undermines student success, access, and affordability. While low-cost alternatives to many textbooks exist, adopting affordable course materials can be challenging for faculty. Worse, students may feel powerless to advocate for affordable textbooks if they believe they have no influence in  the adoption of course materials.

One way to reduce the out-of-pocket cost for students is to adopt free or low-cost textbooks and course materials. Adopting free-to-access materials, also known as Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) course materials, has been demonstrated to improve student success. When students have access to their materials from the first day of class, grades improve and withdrawal rates decrease, especially for those students traditionally underrepresented in higher education (Colvard et al., 2018). Students also take more courses, allowing them to move toward graduation faster (Hilton et al., 2015).

How can you learn more?

Faculty and Staff:

• Explore the guide to getting started with finding open educational resources (OER)
• Enroll in the OER/ZTC Certificate program for self-guided, self-paced professional development
• Attend future workshops and other events (check back on this page in the future; none currently scheduled)
• Look for possible future calls for applications to the Textbook Affordability Fellows program for structured year-long faculty development and support (program paused indefinitely due to lack of funding)

Students:

• Join the Student Textbook Affordability Club (a club born from our previous Textbook Affordability Student Ambassadors program)
• Explore the Creative Commons Licensing for Students

Everyone: Reach out to D'Arcy Hutchings with questions and for individual assistance!

In addition to a variety of professional development opportunities, awareness-building efforts, and individualized support, UAA Textbook Affordability is also involved with:

• Management of the Textbook Affordability and Open Education Mini-Grants (TAM) program, funding faculty projects
• Highlighting the work of faculty in the areas of textbook affordability and broader open education, including on the Textbook Affordability Heroes page
• Support for the now-retired Consortium Library Affordable Course Materials Award for faculty
• Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Course Marking in the course registration system (advocated for the marking and now providing assistance to faculty, staff, and students when needed)