University of Georgia
IN-41: Textbook Affordability

The University System of Georgia has been a nationwide leader in helping students save money through free online textbooks. UGA has been at the forefront of those efforts, helping its students save more than $2 million in textbooks since 2013. USG was named the No. 1 system nationwide by Rice University-based publisher OpenStax at saving students money through adoption of OpenStax free digital college textbooks  in the 2015-16 academic school year. USG institutions helped nearly 36,000 students save $3.5 million. That same year, UGA helped save students over $986,500 through the use of Open Educational Resources. OERs are free teaching, learning and research resources. UGA's success with OERs comes from the backing of the USG. The Center for Teaching and Learning has received four USG grants to help fund free textbook implementation, including grants through Affordable Learning Georgia, a USG initiative that promotes the use of lower cost alternatives to traditional textbooks. There are many types of free educational material on the web, including YouTube videos and Google Books as well as a wealth of materials offered through the UGA libraries. However, the biggest savings come from using free textbooks, especially for large-enrollment introductory courses.

Open Education Resources are college textbooks that are free for students to use. The rising costs of college textbooks in higher education is an economic challenge that students and families face. Thus, the University System of Georgia is among the leaders in public higher education institutions to support the creation of OERs that mitigate these economic factors. USG launched the Affordable Learning Georgia which offers grants for faculty in Georgia's public higher education institutions to create open textbooks that either born digital or were transformed from a traditional textbook. USG advocated a highly rigorous peer review system to ensure the quality of open textbooks.