There are two major ways to reduce the cost of course materials for your students:
- Use Open Educational Resources to replace expensive textbooks and media
- Link/embed Library Materials instead of creating costly course packs or requiring media purchases
Affordable Learning Opportunities
Affordable Learning Opportunities look to reduce costs for students by substituting low-cost or no-cost resources in place of commercial textbooks. The scope of material used can be wider than just OER materials. Examples include:
- Using library-licensed materials, including books, eBook, and electronic journal and magazine articles for course instruction, or making use of library course reserves. These materials have already been purchased by libraries or institutions, but are no-cost to students.
- Using existing Open Educational Resources for course instruction and/or modifying/enhancing existing resources.
- Creating open content that can be used by students you are teaching or by other instructors or scholars.
- Institutional efforts to negotiate across-the-board lower costs for traditionally-published textbooks and materials.