Choosing affordable course materials makes it much more likely that students will buy (and hopefully read) them. Consider the following when choosing a text for your course.
- Choose an Open Educational Resource (OER). These are free or low-cost and can be customized for your needs. Learn more.
- Use Moodle to share online readings and videos in lieu of a formal textbook. Learn more.
- Choose a library-licensed ebook with unlimited user access. Learn more.
- Use the library's course reserves. Personal copies of textbooks, required readings and videos can be available to students for 2 hours at a time in the library. Learn more.
- Consider using your current edition of a text (rather than the newly revised edition) for another year. These are often cheaper and easier to find used.
- Avoid custom textbooks except when they reduce costs. These usually cannot be rented or sold back at the end of the semester, so the cost difference should be significant to ensure true net savings for students.
- Think twice before requiring additional access codes for homework and quizzes. Publishers often provide free content that can be imported to Open LMS/Moodle instead.
- Use texts that include free access to digital materials online (either instructional resources for you or study guides and digital content for students).
- Communicate your course requirements (with ISBNs if possible) to students ahead of the semester. This gives them time to shop around.
Adapted from a LibGuide at UCSC.
