College is expensive, period. At Bay Path, we are beginning to move toward replacing the textbooks you’re used to buying or scanning at the library with books that cost much less or are completely free, called OERs (open educational resources). An OER is any type of digital, online learning material including textbooks, podcasts, blogs, videos, and much more, that is available to use at no cost. There are great, low cost or free resources out there that are just as good, if not better than expensive textbooks. It’s my job to help your faculty find them.
Because most low or no-cost textbooks are online and available to everyone, 24/7, you can arrive on the first day of class assured that you can complete your required readings on time (or early!) without the danger of falling behind while you’re waiting to purchase your book. Can you imagine spending $0 on textbooks in one, two, or even all of your courses in a semester? That’s our goal--we want you to stop spending so much money on textbooks. We firmly believe that education is a right, not a privilege, and no one should have to second guess or end their Bay Path experience because they can’t afford the textbooks.
Many faculty members at BPU have already started working toward lowering textbook costs for you. Now, we are embarking on an institution-wide initiative to reduce or eliminate textbook costs in as many courses as possible. We understand how the money saved from not having to buy just one textbook can go a long way, and we hope more and more students are able to benefit as the journey toward openness continues. OERs can unite us - students, faculty, staff (like me), and administrators - in the common goal of saving you money while enhancing your education, making it comprehensive and unique to your experiences. Want to learn more about OERs and how you, as a student, can get involved in in the initiative? Check out Student PIRGS’ campaign to make textbooks affordable.
