There are many benefits to using Open Educational Resources instead of textbooks.
Academic benefits for students:
- Quickly available materials: When students have access to course materials from the first day of class, they can organize their work early and are less likely to fall behind in their studies. Inclusive access textbooks often include the first 14 days of the semester access without a purchase. Students have time to complete their purchase by a specific date, but maintain access to the digital textbook until then. This is different for purchase options, where students don't have access until they buy the physical textbook.
Financial benefits for students:
- Inclusive access is often negotiated based on volume purchase and may discount the textbook as much as 40%. This depends on the size of the class or number of sections in the course.
General increase in efficiency:
- The UIC Bookstore does not have to manage physical inventory of books, and paper waste is limited. The availability of a digital textbook through various devices makes the text more accessible to students over physical textbooks