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Affordable Textbooks and Courseware: Home

Introduction

For Faculty and Departments

As you select textbook and courseware, these questions and tips can help you reduce costs for your students. 

By reducing costs, you can promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at CCM, and lower one of the greatest financial barriers for students.

Click the "What is OER?" and "Finding OER" tabs above for information about open educational resources.

Timing

Question 1

Can you reduce students' costs by deciding early on textbooks/courseware?

The earlier, the better! On-time book orders allow the CCM Bookstore to shop for used books and/or provide rentals to save students money.

Duration

Question 2

How long can you commit to a text?

Longer commitments lower prices -- the Bookstore can shop alternative sources, find less expensive materials, and lower rental prices.

CCM Board policy requires a minimum 2-year commitment. This alone drops the rental cost to half of its new or used price. A 3-year commitment can drop the cost further, especially if the text is also used in Summer courses.

Access codes

Question 3

Is the access code needed?

  • Digital single use codes are almost always more expensive than their physical counterparts
  • Physical books allow for rentals, sharing, etc.
  • Access codes expire, leaving the student with a lower value proposition than a physical textbook

If you can teach the course without requiring the students to buy the access code, you save them money.

Contact the Bookstore

Question 4

Have you contacted the CCM Bookstore?

The CCM Bookstore can often make suggestions about format, or other publishers' options, that can lower the price for students.

When choosing textbook and courseware options, contact the Bookstore at: https://bookstore.ccm.edu/contact-us