There are two key aspects to consider when discussing course materials and textbooks - open AND affordable.  Open is most commonly referred to as OER, but open is more than OER.

1. Open:
   • Open Educational Resources (OER) - are freely and publicly available teaching and learning resources that have been released under an open license, allowing for special ways to use these materials.  OER are a subset of open access materials.
   • Open Access (OA) - refers to online teaching, learning and research materials that are free of charge, freely accessible, but some copyright limitations still apply. 
   • Public Domain -  are materials whose copyright has expired, enabling them to be shared and repurposed without the need to obtain permissions or pay royalties.  They can be used in a manner very similar to OER.

2. Affordable: can be described as any free, low-cost, or openly available resources that can serve as alternatives to expensive materials.  Copyright restrictions often apply to affordable materials.  

   • Library materials - Use the library as your textbook by utilizing library databases to find e-books, online articles, streaming video, and more.  
   • Course Reserves - Choose a traditional print textbook, put it on reserve in the library for the semester, and then let your students know how to find it.

NOTE: At UMW, affordable course materials are defined as requiring students to spend no more than $40 total for all course materials.

College affordability is a major concern for some students, but issues of this magnitude are beyond the influence of faculty and staff.  One area that faculty control is the selection of textbooks.  Through the careful selection of course materials, faculty can make the cost of textbooks much more affordable. 

Open Educational Resources (OER) are a unique variety of open access (OA):

•  Open Access (OA) or OER
•  Are OER and OA the same thing?