Why apply for the Alt-Textbook Project?
The Problem with Textbooks
- Runaway textbook costs on college campuses have become a major impediment to student success.
- Textbook costs have outpaced inflation by over 200% over the last 30 years.
- Students spend an average of $1,200 per year on textbooks.
- 7 out of 10 students have been unable to purchase their required textbooks due to cost, according to a recent PIRG survey of over 5,000 students at 82 campuses across the country.
Open Educational Resources: A Solution
Many alternatives to the current textbook publishing landscape have emerged in the last decade, allowing faculty to easily find and use current, high-quality, free online Open Educational Resources (OER) for their courses. Projects such as Open Textbook Library and OpenStax College provide access to free, peer-reviewed textbooks covering a wide variety of subjects, while other initiatives such as OpenStax CNX and Merlot II provide repositories of peer-reviewed open educational materials that can be remixed and customized by faculty who wish to build their own textbook or course materials.
Student Advocacy
As students, your voice is important in this cause. If you're interested in finding ways to advocate for textbook affordability on our campus then here are some ways in which you can become involved:
- Sign the petition to support free course material options
- Talk to your professors about OER and refer them to the Libraries for expert support
- Join the NC State University chapter of NCPIRG, a group for students who want to bring about real change to issues that matter to their campus.
The Pledge
In partnership with the United States Public Interest Research Group (USPIRG), we encourage all faculty members to seek affordable and accessible course materials. You can learn more about the efforts of the NC State chapter of USPIRG, fill out an interest card to get involved, and sign the petition for OER resources.