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Open Educational Resources

Textbook Affordability @ DU

Many faculty members across DU have converted traditional textbooks for their courses to zero-cost course materials. How can you do the same?

  • There's no one answer for everyone, but you can use a mix of Open Educational Resources, library-licensed resources, and items freely available or in the public domain on the web. 
  • Talk to your library liaison to help you locate alternative course materials. 

CATs Program

Course Adopted Texts (CATS) Program: This program combines courses using OER and library e-books as textbooks.

  • The library cross-references the faculty course-adopted textbook lists with multi-user e-books that we either already have in our collections or can purchase. When we find a match, we will notify the faculty via email so that they can have the option to share the link to the e-book with their students through Blackboard.
  • Using Open Educational Resources (OER) is an easy way to make your class affordable.

Check the Faculty E-Textbooks lists to see what the library has purchased and what the library can purchase for your course.

 

Check out the OER guides for more information:

Open Textbook Review Program

Encourages faculty to explore open textbooks as an alternative to traditional textbooks. The reviews can help faculty decide if adopting open educational resources is right for their course and will create a champion for adoption in their department.

  • Faculty participating in the program will provide a concise textbook review.
  • A $200 stipend will be offered for each review. An additional $100 stipend will be offered if adopted for the course.
  • The allocated money is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. There is a limit of 2 reviews per faculty member.
  • $3000 is available for faculty to review Open Textbooks.
  • Up to 10 full-time faculty members can participate in the program.

To learn more, check out the Open Textbook Review Program guide

Request Course Materials

Looking for course materials? Have the DU Library help you out by requesting a course materials search

How it works: 

  • DU Library provides consultation and support for using these materials.
  • A Google Sheet is shared with you that contains the materials found.
  • Allow up to 2 weeks for us to complete the search.

Fill out the Request Course Materials form to get started. 

Using Library-Licensed Resources

While library-licensed resources are not OER and may come with copyright and licensing restrictions, using materials available through your library can save your students money.

  • The library offers e-books, articles, and journals that can be easily linked to and freely accessed through Blackboard or your syllabus.

Have a title you want to use for your course? Fill out the Request Library E-book for my Course form, and we can check to see if it's available as an e-book.