{"id":94347,"date":"2022-12-13T15:42:14","date_gmt":"2022-12-13T21:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=94347"},"modified":"2022-12-13T15:42:16","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T21:42:16","slug":"campus-efforts-save-nu-students-13-million-in-textbook-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2022\/12\/13\/campus-efforts-save-nu-students-13-million-in-textbook-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"Campus efforts save NU students $13 million in textbook costs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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University of Nebraska students have saved more than $13 million in textbook costs in recent years thanks to collective efforts of faculty and staff across the four campuses to expand access to more affordable digital course materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Nebraska at Omaha, University of Nebraska at Kearney and University of Nebraska Medical Center all have launched programs to reduce textbook costs for students \u2013 part of a broad goal across the NU System to ensure affordable access to quality education for all students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Known collectively as \u201cOpen Nebraska,\u201d the campuses\u2019 efforts are further evidence of the university\u2019s commitment to reducing costs for students wherever possible, NU System President Ted Carter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe cost of textbooks is real money for students and families,\u201d Carter said, noting that, according to the College Board, students typically spend about $1,200 per year on books. \u201cOur faculty and staff have been incredibly innovative in finding ways to help students access those same course materials at much lower costs. To have saved this much money for students in such a short time is a remarkable achievement \u2013 a credit to the leadership and vision of our campus teams.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carter\u2019s strategic plan for the NU System includes a goal to reach $10 million in textbook savings through Open Nebraska by 2023-24. The $13 million in savings thus far surpasses that goal well ahead of schedule \u2013 and the university expects savings to grow as use of free and low-cost digital course materials as well as \u201copen educational resources\u201d (educational materials that are freely available online, like videos, websites, online lectures and so on) continues to expand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Figures represent how much students have saved by taking advantage of digital course materials and open educational resources instead of purchasing traditional textbooks in the courses in which they registered. The university began tracking cumulative system-wide savings in 2018. The $13 million in savings includes the newest savings from the fall 2022 semester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNK was the first campus to pilot a focused effort by faculty to replace traditional textbooks with lower-cost digital materials in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the years since, faculty and instructors across all NU campuses, along with colleagues from the academic affairs offices, bookstores, libraries, Information Technology Services and others have worked together on a number of efforts to reduce textbook costs for students. Highlights include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n