OER Background: Creative Commons (CC) - Licensing and OER

Cost saving for students – Free textbooks!

Students can choose to read or listen to online version for free, or print out all or part of work for just the cost of printing.

In a recent study, the College Board found that undergraduate students can expect to pay upwards of $1,200 a year for ​​​textbooks and supplies. The cost of textbooks impacts student success and retention. Students who participated in the 2012 Florida Student Textbook Survey answered that, at least once over the course of their academic careers, the cost of required textbooks caused them to:

Open textbooks...

• Save students money. Open textbooks offer both digital editions and printed copies. Students can download digital editions for free or order print copies at a low price.
• Allow for flexible content. Students can access the content in their preferred format, on their preferred platform. Professors can customize the material to match their course needs. Video, audio, and other interactive content can be embedded into digital editions.
• Help students succeed. A recent, multi-institutional study showed that students using open textbooks in their courses performed as well or better than students using traditional textbooks and that they enrolled in more courses the following semester. Students using online open textbooks also gain ICT (information communication technology) skills.