The Open & Affordable Education Committee is a cross-campus group working to support the use of free and low-cost resources and innovative teaching practices in the classroom. We accomplish this by promoting open & affordable course material options, encouraging faculty innovation, and empowering our faculty to adopt, adapt, and create open educational resources by providing grants and training opportunities.
The major representatives of our partnership include:
- Center for Excellence in Learning & Teaching (CELT)
- ISU Book Store
- Office of the Senior Vice President & Provost
- Student Government
- University Library
Our Work
We understand that Open Educational Resources might not be the best fit for every course. OAEC encourages faculty to select resources that maintain excellent teaching and learning outcomes. These solutions may include both free and low-cost resources.
Why Open and Affordable Course Materials?
College textbook prices increased by 87.5% from 2006 to 2016, over four times the rate of inflation for all other items in the Consumer Price Index. This unprecedented growth in prices has made it difficult for many students to purchase all of their required course materials.