Every student should have access to textbooks and other course materials so they have the opportunity to make the most out of their college experience. UNT supports a wide range of initiatives that address textbook accessibility, affordability of course materials, and effectiveness---all aimed at supporting student coursework and promoting success in their academic pursuits. These initiatives aim to provide options for students to have access to quality course materials and to support faculty in their efforts to adopt and implement effective reduced-cost or free textbooks and related course materials. Increasing textbook access to all students will have an impact on student success in UNT courses.
Want to get involved?
During the 2021 State of the University, and in subsequent actions, the President of the University introduced several affordability initiatives that promote access to higher education including the need to address the high cost of textbooks! Learn more about these initiatives by watching or reading the transcript.
Thanks to funding as part of President Smatresk’s new affordability initiatives for the 2021-2022 academic year, the UNT Libraries and UNT Press will lead and facilitate two programs to support full-time UNT faculty, including instructors and lecturers, in adopting, adapting, and creating affordable, accessible, and effective course materials for use in UNT courses.
Two of these programs are related to open educational resources (OER):
- OER Grants Task payments (supplemental salary) of up to $5,000 are available for faculty who will newly adopt or adapt an openly licensed textbook or other OER, or will adopt, adapt, or create ancillary materials for an existing open textbook or other OER.
- UNT Open Texts – This collaborative effort of the UNT Press and UNT Libraries supports faculty who wish to publish an open access textbook, with financial incentives of up to $10,000.
For questions regarding the OER Grants and Open Text proposal, contact scholarlycommunication@unt.edu