Textbook Affordability

Textbook costs play a major role in the cost of a college education, and the high cost of textbooks directly undermines student success, access, and affordability -- central values of UAA’s 2025 mission. While low-cost alternatives to many textbooks exist, adopting affordable textbooks can be challenging for faculty. Worse, students may feel powerless to advocate for affordable textbooks if they believe they have no influence in faculty textbook adoptions.

One way to reduce the out-of-pocket cost for students is to adopt free or low-cost textbooks. 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 ed (Colvard et al., 2018). Students also take more courses, allowing them to move toward graduation faster (Hilton et al., 2015). 

Zero Textbook Cost (ZTC) Course Marking - Coming Fall 2022

Learn More About Textbook Affordability

  Already an OER adopter? Let us know!

• Textbook Affordability Fellows

  The following faculty have committed to adopting, refining, and/or creating OER resources for their courses with the aim of reducing cost and increasing quality of education for the students we serve. To learn more about their course transformations, visit the Textbook Transformation ePortfolio!

  2021-2022 Fellows

  Adam Dunstan, Anthropology, KPC-Kenai
  Amy Green, Culinary Arts & Hospitality, UAA
  David Bowie, English, UAA
  Gloria Eldridge, Psychology, UAA
  Grace Leu-Burke, Allied Health, UAA
  Jackie Cason, Writing, UAA
  Kimberly Pace, Political Science & Women's Studies, UAA
  Kristen Ogilvie, Anthropology, UAA
  Lia Calhoun, English & Communication, KPC-Homer
  Michelle Fellows, Psychology, KPC-Kenai
  Rachel Graham, Mathematics, Mat-Su
  Sharon Chamard, Justice, UAA

  2020-2021 Fellows

  Amber Worthington, Communication, CTC, UAA
  Corrie Whitmore, Health Sciences, UAA
  Hilary Seitz, School of Education: Early Childhood, UAA
  Robert Henderson, J.D., Justice Center, UAA
  Terri Manthey, Quantitative Studies, CTC, UAA
  Sara Rufner, Writing, UAA

  2019-2020 Fellows

  Alison Gardell, Biology, KPC-Kenai
  Corrie Whitmore, Health Sciences, UAA
  Doug Bourne, Writing, UAA
  Gregory Hartley, Writing, UAA
  Jeremy Nettleton, Biology, Mat-Su
  John Sirois, Chemistry, Mat-Su
  Leslie Redmond, Dietetics & Nutrition, UAA
  Michelle Scaman, Communication, UAA
  Rachael Hannah, Biology, UAA
  Samuel Cook, Mathematics, UAA
  Sarah Smith, Communication, UAA
  Solveig Pedersen, Communication, UAA
  Stefanos Folias, Mathematics, UAA

• Events

  Textbook Affordability events aim to increase awareness of alternatives to traditional commercial textbooks and methods to reduce textbook costs, as well as encourage students to advocate for no- or low-cost alternatives to traditional textbooks.

  Upcoming Events

  April 1, 2022: Faculty Development Awards Ceremony

  Past Events

  • Fall Teaching Academy
  • Campus Kick-Off 2018 and 2019
  • Fall 2018 Textbook Affordability Week
  • Tech Fellows / Textbook Transformation Fellows
  • Open Education Week, March 4-9, 2019
  • Visiting Speaker Series - Dr. Verena Roberts February 11 & 12, 2020
  • Open Ed Week March 2 - 6, 2020
  • 2019/2020 Textbook Transformation Fellows Learning Community - 3rd Friday of each month, 1p, LIB 214
  • 2020 Textbook Transformation Fellowship - May 26-29, 2020
  • 2021 Textbook Affordability Fellowship - May 10-14, 2021
• Textbook Affordability Committee Chairs