Course Materials

The cost of commercial textbooks and other resource packages, which has increased at an unsustainable rate for decades, demands exploration of alternative publishing and access models. UTA Libraries provide support for finding and using open educational resources (OER), library-licensed content (e.g., e-books, scholarly articles, and databases), and electronic reserves to decrease the cost of course materials and increase student success.

• The cost of textbooks, access codes, and bundles can create significant financial barriers:
  • Cost impedes student success
  • Cost increases equity gaps
• Approximately 80% of UTA students have skipped purchase of required course materials
• Students report dropping, failing, and withdrawing from courses due to course material costs
• Students also report enrolling in fewer courses due to course material costs

Visit our guide to get started or contact your subject librarian for personalized assistance locating affordable resources appropriate for your courses.

UTA Libraries work closely with campus partners to ensure that UTA students have the information they need to make educated enrollment decisions and plan for the cost of their education. Per state law, students must be able to search the schedule of classes and filter by courses that use OER. If the total cost per student for all required resources in a course is $0, report the course as soon as possible each semester to ensure it is tagged in the schedule of classes.

Report Free Resource Use