Skip to Main Content

Open & Affordable Textbooks: Find resources

Looking for assistance?

The library is here to help! If you'd like assistance in finding and sorting through resources, contact Caitlin Balgeman to schedule a one-on-one consultation.

And, you can always email or stop by the library with any questions you have throughout your textbook adoption process.

 

Your choices matter. Thank you for choosing affordable.

What's an OER?

An OER is an open educational resource. This can be anything from full textbooks to modules to syllabi to test banks to images to videos, and many more. 

What's an open educational resource? Free + permissions.

The Hewlett Foundation defines them like this: Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching, learning, and research materials that are either (a) in the public domain or (b) licensed in a manner that provides everyone with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities [retain, reuse, remix, revise, and redistribute].

Where to find OERs

Open Streaming Videos

Content Organizer

Use this template to organize your zero-cost resources as you go, and align them with your course topics.

You can make your own copy of the document by going to File > Make a Copy.

What are library-licensed materials?

Library-licensed resources are resources that the library has purchased that are free for your students to use. You'll want to look for resources that are DRM-free, which means students can download, print, and read as much as they want with no technology restrictions. Another good option is ebooks with unlimited users, because that means that all your students could access the book at once, and usually print a good chunk of the book at a time if desired. 

Where to find library-licensed textbooks

What have other faculty used?

Interested in what faculty at private colleges and universities in Indiana have used for their courses? View these spreadsheets (and check out the tabs at the bottom for more years of textbook selections).

 

Want to join the fun? Apply for a PALSave Course Redesign Grant and receive a $500 stipend.

Attribution

How to provide attribution to this guide: "Affordable Textbooks" by Caitlin Balgeman, Marian University is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0