MTSU’s Walker Library to celebrate $3M textbook savings during OpenEducation Week March 2-6
As James E. Walker Library at Middle Tennessee State University prepares to observe Open Education Week March 2 through 6, the campus is also celebrating a significant milestone in student savings.
Over the past five years, Middle Tennessee State University students have saved more than 3 million dollars in textbook costs through Zero Textbook Cost, or ZTC, courses. These courses eliminate traditional textbook expenses by using Open Educational Resources, known as OER, along with library licensed materials and other free resources.
“We wanted to celebrate hitting that milestone,” said Ginelle Baskin, who oversees OER initiatives on campus.
Since formally tracking zero textbook cost courses in 2022, the university has experienced steady growth in both faculty participation and overall student savings. Using average enrollment figures and estimating approximately 100 dollars per student in textbook expenses, the library calculates savings for each qualifying course section. Baskin noted that actual savings are often even higher.
Last semester alone, students saved approximately 819,000 dollars. With fall data now included, cumulative savings have reached about 3.3 million dollars.
To mark the achievement, the library will host two events during the globally recognized Open Education Week. An OER Champions Showcase will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, March 3, in Room 348 of Walker Library and via Zoom. The event will recognize the cost saving benchmark, feature the university’s first Textbook Hero Award and include faculty presentations.
At 1 p.m. Thursday, March 5, the library will share findings from a recent campus survey exploring how course material costs impact students. That session will also be held via Zoom.
Currently, nearly 8 percent of course sections carry the zero cost label, compared to just 1 percent only a few years ago. Baskin hopes participation will reach 10 percent in the near future.
The initiative represents a collaborative effort across campus. Faculty members such as Janet Colson, a professor of nutrition, have embraced the program. Colson uses Pressbooks, a WordPress based online platform designed for creating, editing and publishing digital and print ready books.
“Textbooks are too expensive,” Colson said. “I hate that students pay 200 dollars for a book they use one semester.”
Colson remixed open textbooks originally developed by faculty in Hawaii and later adapted by educators in Washington state. She tailored the content to better serve MTSU students. The flexibility of OER allows her to incorporate sections on food insecurity, SNAP and WIC, and to design applied assignments that address real world scenarios.
“There are some really good Pressbooks out there,” Colson said. “And when faculty create and share their own, it saves our students a lot of money.”
