TTU Textbook Initiative Saves Students Some $150K In First Semester

Tennessee Tech has saved some 900 students a total of $150,000 in textbook costs in the first semester of its Open Educational Resource (OER) program.

Public Service Coordinator Sharon Holderman said that some professors were able to transition from paying for textbooks to using free online resources in their courses.

“$150,000 in savings for only eight courses, and we teach a lot more than eight courses here at Tennessee Tech,” Holderman said. “So it just goes to show the power of the savings that can happen with OERs if more classes and more professors get on board (…) So I’m really happy that our initial grant this year has kind of paved the way to show that you may be one professor and teaching a handful of classes, but you really can make an impact here.”

Holderman said that many don’t realize that the cost of attending university goes beyond tuition. She said that a singular textbook can cost $200, and when you have multiple courses it can really add up.

Holderman said that minimizing or removing the cost of textbooks can help some students avoid taking out loans.

“A lot of textbook publishers republish new editions every year, the cost goes up, it makes it harder to resell books back to the bookstore or purchase used copies,” Holderman said. “So we are looking at trying to encourage an alternate way to require reading material in classes and the best way to do that and save money, is to require free things.”

Holderman said that this was made possible through a grant to help professors change their curriculum to fit in with the OERs.