Low cost course resources
Digital textbooks are ebooks intended to serve as a text for a class and are usually less expensive than the print version. Digital textbooks may also be known as e-Textbooks or e-texts. They can be a simple a PDF version of a printed textbook or a complex and engaging interactive resource with the ability to access multimedia content including embedded videos and interactive presentations and hyperlinks. Testing, assessment tools and the ability to customize within the e-Textbooks are features that may be available as well. Digital textbooks may provide improved access and offer a different or better learning experience for students with disabilities. High-contrast displays or text to speech programs can provide visually impaired students access to content that a traditional print text could not.
Enhanced OER is an Open Educational Resource (OER) that has been enhanced/integrated and may include similar interactive capabilities as interactive e-Textbooks, such as the ability to access multimedia content including embedded videos and interactive presentations and hyperlinks. They may include testing, assessment tools and the ability to customize the content. These enhanced versions of OER will come with a fee but are still often much less expensive than traditional textbooks.
Contact the UNR Wolf Shop for more information on their platform, BNC OER+, or check out other enhanced OER platforms like Lumen or OpenStax Tech Scout.
Custom course readers can include the instructor’s own materials or works from other sources including articles, sections of books, images, graphs, open educational resources, quizzes or anything required to teach the course. Course readers can be made available in print for a small fee and freely available via digital formats. Digital course readers allow for the inclusion of audio, video, and hyperlinks and the easy integration into course management systems, including Canvas.
Springer’s My Copy program allows students to order a personal, print-on-demand soft cover edition of any Springer ebook that the University Libraries owns. Books must be published no earlier than 2005 and cannot exceed 1,200 pages. These printed versions cost $25 and allow those students who prefer printed learning materials to obtain the required course materials at an affordable price.