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What is Affordable Learning?

Affordable Learning at The University of Akron

Affordable Learning at UA

The University of Akron, in partnership with OhioLINK and the Open Textbook Network, has been working to consolidate efforts around textbook / course materials affordability and open education resource adoption. This effort is directly tied to the success of our students, and involves numerous departments on campus.

https://uakron.edu/affordablelearning/

Locating Open Textbooks in the UAL Catalog

Start your search at the UA Libaries Catalog.

Enter the phrase "Open Textbook Library" in the keyword search box.

If you are looking for a specific discipline, add it to the search. For example:

"open textbook library" AND physics

View the results:

Resources on Open / Affordable Content

Book: The Evolution of Affordable Content Efforts in Higher Education: Programs, Case Studies, and Examples.
This openly licensed book provides both inspiration and guidance for those beginning work on affordable content and evidence of the growth that has occurred in this arena over the last decade.

The Evolution of Affordable Content Efforts in the Higher Education Environment: Programs, Case Studies, and Examples provides both inspiration and guidance for those beginning work on affordable content and evidence of the growth that has occurred in this arena over the last decade. While some institutions have been providing students affordable content options for over 100 years, many others have found the need to launch new programs in response to the escalating costs of higher education and the impact that has on student learning. This book provides examples from different types and sizes of institutions and includes voices from a wide range of contributors including faculty, instructional designers, academic technologists, librarians, bookstore staff, and more. The Evolution of Affordable Content demonstrates the range of affordable content options that are possible today–from openly licensed content to library licensed materials and all inclusive purchase models to institution-wide student textbook rental models.

George Mason University OER Metafinder

The Mason OER Metafinder searches seventeen targets in real-time, instantly returning the top several hundred or so relevant hits from each site. Because it is a real-time search, it can take a bit longer than searches of pre-indexed content; however, as compensation the results returned are absolutely up-to-the-minute for each search target. Additional results continue to trickle in as the search continues running and you begin examining your results.

Search the Mason OER Metafinder

OhioLINK and Affordable Learning

Affordable Learning is OhioLINK's series of initiatives to lower the cost of college for Ohio higher education students by assisting our member libraries and campuses in identifying strategies for Open and Affordable Learning textbook and course material adoption, and helping locate statewide shareable library materials as well as open educational resources that are no cost or lower cost to students.

Affordable Learning Ohio website

Affordable Learning Ambassadors

University of Akron's Affordable Learning Initiatives

Ohio OpenEd Collaborative (Create, adopt, and utilize open materials for many of Ohio's high enrollment courses)

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

Upcoming events:

Save the date:

The second Affordable Learning Initiative Summit will be held August 1-2, 2019 at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus. We’ll be touching on many aspects of textbook affordability: OER programs, integrating library materials and workflows into textbook initiatives, and the inclusive access textbook pilots and implementations across the state. One day will focus mainly on OER, the other will focus on inclusive access. Special guest speaker Nicole Finkbeiner from OpenStax at Rice University will speak on proven strategies for driving OER adoption on campuses. More details and an agenda for each day to follow. If you are interested in presenting or being on a panel, please contact Anna Bendo at abendo@ohiolink.edu.

Previous events / materials:

OhioLINK’s Textbook Affordability and Inclusive Access Immersion: A one-day conference for our members

Held on Friday, September 28, 2018 at the OCLC Conference Center
Post-Conference Materials

Open Textbook Network

Visit the Open Textbook Network:

The Open Textbook Network (OTN) helps higher education institutions and systems advance the use of open textbooks and practices on their campuses.

The OTN includes a link to the Open Textbook Library.

Open Resources

JSTOR Open Content
JSTOR has partnered with leading presses on a project to add open access ebooks to JSTOR. More than 2,000 titles are now available from publishers such as University of California Press, Cornell University Press, NYU Press, and University of Michigan Press, and we will continue to add new titles. These open access books are freely available for anyone in the world to use.
OER Toolkit
From the College Libraries Ontario and OCLS, the OER Toolkit aims to improve equitable access to open learning resources and services to college students by providing a province-wide academic support platform for faculty to use while designing courses and assignments. The Toolkit is a one-stop guide to open educational resources, providing faculty and library staff with tools and information to understand, engage with, create, and sustain OER in their work and practice. The Toolkit is designed to be used by anyone involved with OER at an academic institution, whether you are part of a team that is collaborating to create OER, a library staff member who is supporting OER development and use, an advocate for OER at your institution, or an instructor seeking to incorporate OER and open pedagogy in the classroom.
OER Digest
Your bi-weekly newsletter for open education updates, opportunities, and reminders

Open Educational Resources (Wayne): Home

The University of Akron Wayne College Library