STAR: Successful Teaching with Affordable Resources

Successful Teaching with Affordable Resources (STAR) is a campus initiative to decrease the cost of student education by making access to textbooks and course content more affordable. Since 2019, these efforts have saved students over $20 million. STAR works to raise awareness of the range of affordable options and provides instructor consultation and support. We also investigate and study the impacts of affordability, and the pedagogical innovations implemented through our Seed Grants, on closing equity gaps and student success. STAR leverages the resources of the Office of the Executive Vice-Chancellor, University Libraries, Information Technology Services, and the Center for Transformative Teaching.

Tips and Options to Increase Affordability:

• Meet bookstore textbook ordering deadlines so that students are given the largest range of purchasing and pricing options. Choice decreases when textbooks are ordered after bookstore deadlines.
• UNL Libraries Course Reserves and Libraries Course Materials program supports instructors' efforts to provide accessible and affordable course materials for students. Your course materials may be available as unlimited user materials. Send us your syllabus or reading list and we’ll see what we can provide. 
• Looking for an alternative to your current course materials? Library-licensed materials or OER’s may provide substitutes for some of your course materials. Libraries offers a course-materials review and there are grant funds available for instructors who choose to replace some or all of their current course materials with no or low-cost alternatives.
• Participate in the Inclusive Access Program, which makes textbooks, courseware, and homework from a large number of publishers, predominately in e-textbook format, available to students at significant discounts. Texts are accessible from the first day of class in Canvas, eliminating delays and ensuring all students have access to course materials. Furthermore, student engagement data with the textbook and course materials will also be reflected in Canvas learning analytics.
• Consider adopting, adapting, or creating your own Open Educational Resources (OER). The STAR team is available for consultation and to support your efforts. You may also want to consider applying for an OER Seed Grant. Visit the OER Seed Grant page for more details and application information.
• Instructors can use Pressbooks to create Open Educational Resources. To learn more about creating OER content, please check out this instructional guide.
• See past grant recipients in the OER Seed Grant Archive.

To learn more about participating in Inclusive Access or about the STAR initiative in general, please email us at star@unl.edu.