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Support for Instructors

Affordable Course Materials

Explore open and affordable learning materials that help reduce students' educational costs and integrate easily into your instruction.

Affordable learning materials can include online resources already in the Libraries’ collection, like ebooks, articles, streaming video, and more.

Open educational resources (OER), according to the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC), are "teaching, learning, and research resources that are free of cost and access barriers, and which also carry legal permission for open use. Generally, this permission is granted by use of an open license (for example, Creative Commons licenses) which allows anyone to freely use, adapt and share the resource—anytime, anywhere."

Why Use Open and Affordable Learning Materials?

College textbook prices increased 35% from 2011 to 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some factors that have contributed to the rise in textbook prices include the addition of ancillary materials (like quizzes, notes, multimedia), frequent edition updates, and access codes. This price increase has made it difficult for many students to purchase their required course materials, impacting student success.

Find Open and Affordable Learning Materials

Open Textbook Library: Search for open textbooks by subject, and read instructor reviews.
OpenStax: Browse open textbooks useful in high enrollment, introductory-level courses, many of which provide additional resources for instructors (e.g. test banks, answer guides, slides, etc.).
OER Commons: Search this comprehensive site for OER materials, including lesson plans, simulations, data sets, and textbooks from across all disciplines for K-16 learners.
Etextbooks Available through the Libraries: Check to see if a textbook associated with a Temple course is available through the Libraries.
Temple’s Open and Affordable Learning Materials Inventory: Discover the resources other Temple faculty are using to eliminate textbook costs for students. Get ideas, make connections, and try new resources for your course. Consider adding the open and affordable learning resources you have adopted to the Inventory.

Determine If Open and Affordable Learning Materials are Right for You

Many open textbooks have been reviewed by faculty or other subject matter experts. If you want to evaluate the materials yourself, think about the process you typically follow to review textbooks and other materials for your course. There are some existing rubrics that can guide you, including the Open Textbook Library's rubric and the Faculty Checklist for Evaluating Course Materials from Open Oregon Educational Resources.

Apply for a Grant

The Textbook Affordability Project (TAP) is a grant program that awards funds to Temple faculty members who make their courses more affordable for their students by replacing costly educational resources with library-licensed materials or open educational resources (OER), or engaging in other open educational practices. Hear from some past recipients about why they switched to OER.

Not Finding What You Need?

Explore our Discovering Open Educational Resources guide for tips on finding OER.

Temple University subject librarians are available to help faculty interested in incorporating open and affordable learning materials into their assignments and courses, or those wanting to find these materials in order to apply for the Textbook Affordability Project. For more suggestions, email us at openeducation@temple.edu.

Receive News and Updates

Stay up-to-date on the latest happenings around open education at Temple University by subscribing to our Owls for Open Ed quarterly newsletter!

Get Help

Email the Open Education Group at openeducation@temple.edu. We will consult with you or connect you to the right person (like your subject specialist), resource, or service on campus.

Open Education Group

Steven Bell

Associate University Librarian

Library Administration

bells@temple.edu

Kristina De Voe

English & Communication Librarian

Charles Library

devoek@temple.edu

Andrew Diamond

Administrative Specialist

Charles Library