Free and Low-Cost Textbooks

Free textbooks are created using Open Educational Resources (OER) which is content covered by an open license, instead of traditional copyright. Open Educational Resources are most often completely reusable, editable, and best of all, free to anyone, anywhere!

Usually we think of OER as being full textbooks, but really OER can be used for all sorts of different course materials, like individual readings or course modules, quiz questions and test banks, simulations, instructional videos, and more. If the course materials you are using are free to anyone, anywhere, you are most likely using an OER in your class. These textbooks or other course materials are developed by professors to be fully customizable to your class, as well as the CCBC community. As a result, not only do OER and free textbooks save you money, but they also provide you with a richer educational experience.

Another way your professor might use free textbooks or course materials is through the CCBC library. Your professor might link to eBooks, articles, videos, or reading lists to provide you with free course materials. The biggest difference between OER and library materials is that while OER are free to anyone, anywhere, library materials are only free to CCBC students.

Courses using free textbooks:

Course	Open Educational Resources
CSIT 166 - Mobile App Development	Online textbook
LGST 207 - Torts	Online textbook
MATH 082 - Introductory Algebra	Online textbook
MATH 083 - Intermediate Algebra	Online textbook

Low-cost textbooks and course materials are any resources that cost $40 or less. Low-cost textbooks are usually regular, commercial textbooks that cost less than $40, but they can also be OER textbooks that come with a $40 or less access code or special learning platform. In these special cases, the OER textbook is free, but the special learning platform costs between $10-$40. Because of the extra cost associated with these platforms, we consider these types of OER to be low-cost instead of free. 

An example of low-cost textbooks is all online sections of Investigating the Living World (BIOL 108) use a free OER textbook and $25 learning platform. Therefore, we consider this to be a low-cost (under $40) textbook course.

Low-cost textbooks may also fall under the Barnes & Noble First Day Program. The First Day program automatically embeds your textbook within your Brightspace course. The cost for first day books is included in your course fees for the class. You can choose to opt-out of this program when you review your registration. Only some first day books are considered low-cost (under $40) though. All sections of Introduction to Sociology (SOCL 101) use a First Day textbook that costs less than $40.

Courses using Low-Cost Textbooks:

• ACDV 101 - Academic Development: Transitioning to College
• BIOL 108 - Investigating the Living World
• CHEM 108 - Fundamentals of Chemistry Laboratory
• CSIT 111 - Logic and OO Design (First Day)
• PELF 100 - Yoga I
• PSYC 215 - Educational Psychology (First Day)
• SOCL 101 - Introduction to Sociology (First Day)

Right now, CCBC is working on the best way to make free and low-cost textbooks searchable and clearly labeled in the course catalog. Check the notes section in the course description to see if it uses a free or low-cost textbook.

Most free and low-cost textbooks are only available online, so you must have access to the internet to read and use your textbook.

Find low-cost textbooks through Barnes & Noble bookstore »