Getting Started with Low-Cost

Want to lower the cost of materials in your course?

Book or No Book? Typically the most expensive course material cost is a textbook, often used with online publisher resources. When thinking about reducing costs, faculty should first consider if a traditional textbook is needed, or if a curated collection of content would also work. This is an overarching consideration that will guide your approach.

You'll also want to consider how critical publisher-specific content is to learning outcomes. For example, publisher-developed online simulations and activities are often an important part of assessing student learning. These kinds of experiences may make it challenging to move beyond publisher content.

Browse the 'Methods' tab above for more information on these approaches.

Textbook Approach

Work with the Bookstore

If you have decided that publisher content best meets your instructional needs, there may be ways to lower the costs. Talk with the Bookstore about negotiated options like custom editions or inclusive access (IA). The Bookstore has had huge success with IA, which provides students with inclusive access to course materials from the first day of the term.

Adopt an Open Textbook

The library of quality OER and open textbooks is growing rapidly. Browse the OER and open textbook resources to see if there's already a textbook that meets your course needs. The Bookstore can help you offer printed copies of OER content, and the Tech Hub can assist with making the digital version available in eLearn.

Modify an Open Textbook

Creative Commons licensing allows the majority of OER and open textbook content to be modified and adapted to meet your course needs. Chemeketa Press works with OER content as well as faculty-authored content, and may be able to assist you. Online platforms like Pressbooks make it easy to edit content and produce digital versions of a textbook.

Author a Textbook

Chemeketa Press can help you with all aspects of developing a low-cost textbook tailored to your instructional needs. Their projects have included both faculty-authored textbooks and OER-based books. They have a full staff to support faculty with developing low-cost textbooks.

Curated-Content Approach

There are a variety of ways you can use a collection of free and licensed online content with students. Keep in mind copyright and accessibility when considering content. Chemeketa Librarians are experts with copyright, and our Digital Accessibility Advocate can help you make sure content is accessible.

Chemeketa faculty and students have access to a large volume of licensed content. The Tech Hub and Chemeketa Librarians are good resources for discovering and implementing licensed content.