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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, UAA2020-2021 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, UAA2019-2020 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
Veronica Howard, Associate Professor of Psychology D'Arcy Hutchings, Instructional Design Librarian