{"id":1977,"date":"2022-03-03T08:30:44","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T16:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=1977"},"modified":"2025-09-26T13:49:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T20:49:10","slug":"textbooks-expensive-affordable-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/textbooks-expensive-affordable-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Textbooks are way too expensive. Oregon State is saving students millions."},"content":{"rendered":"

OSU faculty are working to make student learning more affordable through open educational resources<\/h2>\n
Editor’s note: <\/strong>This story was originally published on the Oregon State University Division of Educational Ventures news site<\/a>.<\/span><\/div>\n

These are a few of the world\u2019s undeniable truths: Water is wet, the sun rises in the East and college textbooks are too expensive.<\/p>\n

Unless life on Earth fundamentally changes, the first two will always be true.<\/p>\n

But the oft-exorbitant cost of textbooks can change for the better, and Oregon State University \u2014 with its faculty leading the way \u2014\u00a0is on a mission to make college more affordable and accessible for students.<\/p>\n

With the support of Oregon State\u2019s\u00a0Open Educational Resources Unit<\/a>, an increasing number of OSU faculty members are adopting, adapting and authoring freely available online textbooks and course materials.<\/p>\n

The continued development and implementation of these no-cost and low-cost learning materials is making an immense difference:<\/p>\n

Since 2019, Oregon State faculty and the Open Educational Resources Unit have helped OSU students save nearly $15 million in course material costs.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That\u2019s a significant impact, but in the interest of sharing truths, here\u2019s another: Much more needs to be done.<\/p>\n

High costs hit students in the wallet and at home<\/h3>\n

Many textbook prices produce a \u201csticker shock\u201d reaction, but thinking of course materials only in dollars and cents is too one-dimensional. In addition to the financial burden placed on students, the high costs take an emotional toll and force them to make tough life decisions.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the beginning of each term, I have to delay my phone payment and buy less food until I receive my (financial aid) disbursement so that I can ensure I have my required course materials,\u201d one Oregon State student said in response to an OERU survey.<\/p>\n

They were one of many students who said course material costs affect their ability to buy groceries. Others have to work longer hours in order to save for textbooks. Faced with those choices, some students elect to not purchase certain items even though they know it could negatively impact their class performance.<\/p>\n

Faculty \u2018a-ha\u2019 moments can lead to necessary changes<\/h3>\n

John Morris, a senior instructor in Oregon State\u2019s College of Business, had an eye-opening realization a few years ago. He planned to administer an open-book final exam, and he asked during the exam review if anyone needed a copy of the book.<\/p>\n

More than a dozen students raised their hands.<\/p>\n

\u201cNone had actually purchased the textbook,\u201d Morris shared previously<\/a>. \u201cWhen I dug deeper, several admitted to sharing one, but a few acknowledged that the book was so expensive they just couldn\u2019t afford to buy it. They were muddling their way through their education without the benefit of a textbook.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morris eventually adapted an existing open textbook to fit the needs of his course, and Oregon State students are benefiting both financially and academically.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith an OER textbook,\u201d he said, \u201cI don\u2019t have to worry about access and affordability anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to providing grant funding to develop OER, the Open Educational Resources Unit also supports faculty efforts to understand what openly licensed textbooks are and explore how to produce and incorporate them in courses.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re committed to the issue of affordable learning, and we have the tools to help faculty develop the no-cost and low-cost course materials to make it a reality,\u201d said OERU Director Stefanie Buck.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents are the stakeholders who are most impacted by the cost of course materials, but they have the least influence on what materials faculty select for their courses. Making learning more affordable is one of the best ways we can advocate for students.\u201d<\/p>\n

To learn more about OER, you can attend Open Education Week<\/a> online from March 6-10. Open Education Week is a weeklong, virtual event that gives educators and students an opportunity to learn more about open educational practices and be inspired by the work being developed around the world, including by Oregon State faculty.<\/p>\n

Learn about OER at Oregon State<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 3<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>College textbooks are way too expensive, and Oregon State \u2014 with its faculty leading the way \u2014\u00a0is on a mission to make college more affordable and accessible for students. With the support of the OSU\u00a0Open Educational Resources Unit, an increasing number of OSU instructors are adopting, adapting and authoring no-cost and low-cost course materials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,13,702,679,683],"tags":[602,399,647],"class_list":["post-1977","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-oer","category-educational-ventures","category-leadership-and-innovation","category-paying-for-school","tag-oer-at-work","tag-openfeature-1","tag-oregon-state-open-educational-resources-unit"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/OER-News-Textbooks-too-expensive-Karen-Baek-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-vT","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2730,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/open-education-week-oer\/","url_meta":{"origin":1977,"position":0},"title":"Oregon State faculty\u2019s use of free textbooks generates millions in student savings","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"March 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Editor's note: This story was originally published on the Oregon State University Division of Educational Ventures news site. Tuition costs are beyond the control of Oregon State University faculty members, but there is a proven way they can make student learning more affordable: by replacing expensive textbooks with free and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A person working on a laptop with a geographic map on the screen, alongside an open textbook titled \"Getting Organized.\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1867,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/oer-commons-open-access\/","url_meta":{"origin":1977,"position":1},"title":"Finding a new, prominent home for Oregon State\u2019s OER","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"September 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon State University\u2019s expanding collection of open educational resources is now available in one of the world\u2019s largest OER repositories, giving users greater access to the university\u2019s no-cost course materials in a single location. OER Commons\u00a0is a freely accessible, online library that invites educators and students at Oregon State and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A person working on a laptop with a geographic map on the screen, alongside an open textbook titled \"Getting Organized.\"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/open-access-textbook.jpg?fit=800%2C470&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2783,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/oer-champion-awards\/","url_meta":{"origin":1977,"position":2},"title":"Free, open textbooks lead to 5 Oregon State faculty members winning OER Champion Awards","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"May 21, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Five Oregon State University faculty members were honored earlier this month for their \u201coutstanding\u201d efforts to make higher education more affordable for students. Open Oregon Educational Resources, a statewide organization that promotes textbook affordability and the adoption of low-cost learning materials, recognized the five OSU faculty members with its OER\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A close-up image of a stack of orange textbooks on a desk. 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With rapidly changing environmental policy issues in the West, this is needed to stay up-to-date.\" \u2013 OSU School of Public Policy assistant professor Erika Wolters","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Photo of Erika Wolters, assistant professor in Oregon State University's School of Public Policy, who has edited and adopted open educational resources in her courses.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Erika-Wolters-744x478-201210.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Erika-Wolters-744x478-201210.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Erika-Wolters-744x478-201210.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Erika-Wolters-744x478-201210.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1687,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/oer-at-work-marine-law\/","url_meta":{"origin":1977,"position":4},"title":"OER at Work: Authoring a marine law open textbook was ‘straightforward and seamless’","author":"Tyler Hansen","date":"February 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Oregon State researcher and instructor Holly Campbell says the process of authoring an open textbook on marine law \"was very straightforward and seamless,\" and she advises her faculty colleagues to not hesitate in implementing open educational resources in their classes.","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A humpback whale breaches and soars in the air above the ocean. 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