A key benefit of zero-cost learning materials is that they can save our students money without compromising the quality of learning. 

Average Cost of a Required Textbook at Elgin Community College

• Fall 2024:  $119.30 (New) $91.72 (Used)

• Spring 2024:  $123.59 (New) $92.14 (Used)

Fall 2024 Average Cost of a Required Textbook at Elgin Community College, By Academic Division 

• Communication & Behavioral Sciences:  $82.44 (New) $63.48 (Used)

• Health Professions:  $192.74 (New) $142.96 (Used)

• Liberal, Visual, & Performing Arts:  $98.59 (New) $79.87 (Used)

• Math, Science, & Engineering:  $140.69 (New) $103.18 (Used)

• Sustainability, Business, & Career Technologies:  $120.46 (New) $91.99 (Used)

Note:  The above numbers includes costs from the ECC bookstore, and the averages are per required textbook. The figures do not include programs for which the college pays for students' books and does not include sections for which no textbook is required. 

Nationwide, between 2000 and 2022, textbook costs increased at over double the rate of inflation (Watson and Rush-Marlowe). A 2018 study reported that 64% of college students did not purchase a required textbook because of the high cost, and 94% of those students said they were concerned that doing so would hurt their grade. Regarding the sacrifices that students have hade to make to pay for textbooks, a 2022 study reported that 25% of students reported that they worked extra hours to pay for their books and materials, and 11% of students skipped meals in order to afford books and course materials. Specific to our college, at ECC in a 2023 survey, students wrote

• • “I took 4 courses and in each class it was required to buy a textbook. I wasn't able to do my car payment on time since I would get paid Bi-weekly and had to decide what to buy first, either my car payment or my course materials.”

  • “Textbooks are so expensive, and I don't have too much money. So I'm obligated to purchase those course materials, but I end up short of money, and sometimes I find it very hard to even pay the rent.” 

In addition to the benefits of saving students money and of opting out of the traditional for-profit textbook industry, zero-cost learning materials like OER can provide instructors with the opportunity to have more control over course content and, with OER, edit language and examples to be representative of our specific student population. Unlike a publisher textbook in which you can't directly edit the learning materials, with many OER textbooks, there is the opportunity to edit the examples provided and replace images to show students and provide names that are representative of who is in our courses. 

References

Watson, C. Edward and Rachel Rush-Marlowe, Making the Case for Open Educational Resources. American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), 2023.

Institutionally license course packets, which may exist as a collection of electronic recourses on D2L or be printed via the bookstore or library, are learning materials compiled from materials that aren't necessarily free on their own but that are already institutionally licensed through our library databases so that they can be accessed at no additional cost. For instance, that may include journal articles found on JSTOR and videos accessed through LinkedIn Learning. Such learning materials may be compiled and used to supplement or even replace entire textbooks. Because the college already pays to license these materials, these resources are able to be provided to students at no additional cost.  

Library databases

• • Newspaper, magazine, and journal articles

  • Streaming video

  • Ebook platforms with unlimited access ebooks

Course Reserves

Copyright Basics 

Most copyrighted works are under full “all rights reserved” copyright. This means that they cannot be reused in any way without permission from the work’s rightsholder (usually the creator).

One way permission is received to use someone else’s work is through a license, a statement or contract that allows you to perform, display, reproduce, or adapt a copyrighted work in the circumstances specified within the license. For example, the copyright holder for a popular book might sign a license to provide a movie studio with one-time rights to use their characters in a film. This "all rights reserved" copyright is what prevents you from being able to create your own textbook out of materials from several different all rights reserved textbooks without receiving permission from the rights holders, which they'd likely be unwilling to grant.

U.S. copyright law protects an author’s rights over their original creative works (e.g., research articles, books and manuscripts, artwork, video and audio recordings, musical compositions, architectural designs, video games, and unpublished creative works). As soon as something is “fixed in a tangible medium of expression,” it is automatically protected by copyright.

In other words, an idea for a book you want to write is not protected by copyright, but the first draft of your manuscript is. Copyright protection ensures that the creator of a work has complete control over how their work is reproduced, distributed, performed, displayed, and adapted. You do not need to register your resource with the U.S. Copyright Office for this to come into effect; it is automatic.

At ECC, we are able to access various materials through our library, such as books and the content available through our library databases because of licensed agreements our library has. That way, as an instructor, you're able to link to articles and resources found through the library database without having to pay separately for them. The library already has the necessary subscription. When sharing such resources, though, it is important to share the links via the library databases rather than downloading the texts and uploading as individual files. This is so that the appropriate licenses can be maintained.

Public Domain

Works that are no longer protected by copyright are considered part of the public domain. Items in the public domain can be reused freely for any purpose by anyone, without giving attribution to the author or creator.

Public domain works in the U.S. include works whose creator died 70 years prior, works published before 1924, and/or works dedicated to the public domain by their rightsholder.

Creative Common Licenses

OER are made available under types of open licenses, which are a set of authorized permissions from the rightsholder of a work for any and all users. The most popular of these licenses are Creative Commons (CC) licenses, customizable copyright licenses that allow others to reuse, re-publish, and often adapt content with few or no restrictions. CC licenses allow creators to explain in plain language how their works can be used by others. Open licenses are crucial for the use of OER and the ability to not only use and reproduce but to alter content as well. 

Types of Creative Commons Licenses

There are four primary "open" creative commons license attributes that can be mixed and matched when applied to material. There are strengths and weaknesses to each Creative Commons license that might be applied to an OER. To help understand the different types, a short description of each license that can be applied to OER is provided below.

1.  Attribution (BY)  Proper attribution must be given to the original creator of the work whenever a portion of their work is reused or adapted. This includes a link to the original work, information about the author, and information about the original work’s license.

2. Share-Alike (SA)  Iterations of the original work must be made available under the same license terms.

3. Non-Commercial (NC)  The work cannot be sold at a profit or used for commercial means such as for-profit advertising. Copies of the work can be purchased in print and given away or sold at cost.

4. No Derivatives (ND)  The work cannot be altered or “remixed.” Only identical copies of the work can be redistributed without additional permission from the creator.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Each 

1. Attribution (BY)  Proper attribution must be given to the original creator of the work whenever a portion of their work is reused or adapted. This includes a link to the original work, information about the author, and information about the original work’s license.

   • Benefits:  By requiring attribution and nothing else, the CC BY work will be easy for others to adapt and build upon.

   • Drawbacks:  Because CC BY allows for easier sharing and adaptation, it also leaves the creator with less power over their work. When you use a CC BY license, you cannot be certain that your work will remain open or that your work will be reused for projects you support.

2. Share-Alike (SA)  Iterations of the original work must be made available under the same license terms. As a user, you can adapt and remix CC BY NC works so long as your new works provide attribution to the original author and do not turn a profit.

   • Benefits:  The CC BY SA combines the openness of CC BY license with the caveat that an item remains open under the same license when adapted.

   • Drawbacks:  Because the CC BY SA license requires that adapted content be shared under the same license, it can be difficult to adapt or to remix works licensed CC BY SA.

3. Non-Commercial (NC)  The work cannot be sold at a profit or used for commercial means such as for-profit advertising. Copies of the work can be purchased in print and given away or sold at cost.

   • Benefits:  The CC BY NC license gives the creator of a work complete control over any commercial reuse of their work.

   • Drawbacks: Some users may be concerned about what they are allowed to do with a CC BY NC work and where the commercial “line” is drawn. 

4. No Derivatives (ND)  The work cannot be altered or “remixed.” Only identical copies of the work can be redistributed without additional permission from the creator.

   • Benefits:  CC BY NC SA is the most restrictive license that can be used for OER and gives the creator the most control over the work's adaptations. Some creators apply this license out of concern for their works being “scooped” by commercial publishers.

   • Drawbacks:  Because of its requirements, the CC BY NC SA license is the hardest to adapt, remix, or build upon.  If someone hopes to leverage the open community to promote and share their content, this license may be a deterrent for potential partners.

Examples 

1. Example OER Textbook:  Conceptual Physics

Notice that the Conceptual Physics textbook has a Creative Commons license for Attribution and Non-Commercial. That means that users are free to adapt and edit the book as they like but in any new forms or uses, they must cite the original authors and may not use the book for commercial means. 

2. Example OER Textbook:  A Guide to Composition 

The A Guide to Composition textbook has a Creative Commons license including Attribution, Non-Commercial, and Share Alike. Users are free to adapt and edit the book as they like but in any new forms or uses, they must cite the original authors, they may not use the book for commercial means, and they must keep the Creative Commons Attribution, Non-Commercial, and Share Alike licenses applied.  

3. Example OER Textbook:  Nursing Skills 

Finally, with the Nursing Skills textbook, it has only a Creative Commons license of Attribution. Users may revise, remix, and adapt the textbook however they see fit but must cite the original authors. 

1. Search for OER Learning Materials for Your Course

• Explore repositories like 

  • OpenStax

  • Open Textbook Library 

  • Open Illinois OER Commons 

  • College of DuPage Digital Press 

  • Libretexts

  • Merlot

• Check discipline-specific OER collections relevant to your subject.

2. Evaluate and Adapt

• Assess OER materials for accuracy, accessibility, and alignment with course outcomes. 

• To the extent permitted by the Creative Commons license applied to any OER you find, modify content as needed to meet the needs of your students.

3. Integrate into Your Course

• Link or embed OER directly into your D2L course.

• To the extent permitted by the Creative Commons license applied to any OER you find, combine multiple OER materials to create a customized curriculum.

4. Ensure Accessibility

• Follow accessibility guidance to ensure content is accessible.

• Review content with one of ECC's Instructional Technology/Accessibility Coordinators

  • Kyle Ahlmann (kahlmann@elgin.edu) 

  • Ryan Karp (rkarp@elgin.edu)

5. Collaborate and Share

• Work with colleagues, instructional designers, and librarians for support.

• Contribute to the OER community by sharing adapted resources.

• For any additional institutioanl support, contact Tyler Roeger, Associate Dean of CETAL, at troeger@elgin.edu. 

Explore Open Educational Resources

• Thursday, March 26, 2026 3:00- 4:30m in B301

• Friday, March 27, 2026 9:00- 10:30am on Zoom

• Wednesday, April 22, 2026 3:00- 4:30m in B301

• Thursday, April 23, 2026 9:00- 10:30am on Zoom

• Facilitator:  Tyler Roeger (CETAL) 

Open Educational Resources (OER) are any type of educational material that’s freely available for teachers and students to use, adapt, share, and reuse, including textbooks. OER can provide an opportunity to further tailor learning content for our students while making education more affordable. In this hands-on session, we’ll seek to dispel myths regarding OER, look at examples of OER from varied fields, and explore different databases for locating OER in participants’ subject areas.  Following the workshop, participants will be invited to find and review an OER text in their discipline.