Affordable Materials Project — Faculty

Why it's important

The high cost of course materials is a significant burden to students. From 2011 to 2018, textbook prices rose by 40%, about four times the rate of inflation.¹ On average, Villanova students are expected to spend $940 per year on course materials.² That's on top of tuition, room and board, and other expenses.

Not surprisingly, a recent national poll revealed that a majority of students forego purchasing textbooks because of the high cost.³ And we should not think that Villanova is an exception in this regard. While Villanova students are often perceived as financially well-off, 47% of them receive some form of need-based financial aid.⁴

The lack of consistent access to course materials is damaging to students' ability to succeed, both in their classes and in their university experience as a whole. Fortunately, there are several things you can do each semester to alleviate the burden.

Tips for Students How to save money, see if the library has your books, access course reserves

Challenges Students Face

The fact that this quality of a textbook was offered for free turned it from an accessory to a staple of my study habits. This offer allowed me to stay up to date with class and even get ahead.

Having the textbook freely available at any time that I needed it helped me by not having to worry about getting access so I could focus more on learning the material and being engaged in the course.

It was...way better to have it this way, and I feel I am more engaged in learning as a result.

The OER textbook is a very good primer for the course subject matter giving clear definitions, and several examples for each item covered, which enhances understanding while also giving practical application/use of the material covered.

The free textbook was a stress reliever. Many classes I have to worry about whether or not I actually need the textbook and sometimes fall behind if I haven't purchased it yet. This textbook was always available, and I never had to worry about access to critical material.

The OER textbook allowed for an affordable and seamless learning experience compared to traditional textbook materials.

* Responses to OER Student Survey by AMP, Fall 2021

Ways You Can Help

Submit Adoptions for Every Course Early

Prompt book adoptions allow the Villanova Bookstore to get better deals with wholesalers and give students more time to save for books and search for the most affordable options.

The adoption deadlines are:

Fall Submission Deadline: April 5
Spring Submission Deadline: October 17
Summer Submission Deadline: March 15

The easiest way to find and submit your book adoptions is to use the Follett Discover tool in Blackboard.

Log into Blackboard.
Click on the Resource Tab.
Click Launch Follett Discover.
make sure you have your pop-up blocker turned off since another window will open

Adopt Open Educational Resources

Visit the library to learn more about Open Educational Resources and get help finding appropriate OER. The University of Minnesota's Open Textbook Library is one of many great tools to search for open-access course materials.

Adopt Library Subscribed Electronic Resources

Each semester, Falvey Library works to acquire digital rights management (DRM)-free and unlimited seating electronic editions of required course books. We send email notifications to classes about their availability and put links in Blackboard. Contact your subject librarian at Falvey to find out if a book you want to use is available. Unfortunately, most traditional textbooks are not licensed to libraries. Faculty can opt out of ebook matching by contacting AMP.

Continue to report library ebooks selected to the Bookstore. If a book isn't reported to the bookstore, a link to it will not be added to the LMS, student's won't be notified and it will not be included in assessment of the program. Assessment is key for continued funding.

Use Course Reserves

Put electronic editions of required and recommended texts (chapters & articles) and streaming video on course reserve so students can access them easily, no matter where they are.

Use this form to request library materials, print or electronic, for course reserves.

Contact Luisa Cywinski at 610‑519‑5215 if you have any questions about course reserves.

Adopt Previous Editions

Use an older edition of a textbook or use the same text for multiple semesters to ensure that cheaper used textbooks will be available now and in the future.

For guidance, consult with the Villanova Bookstore staff.

¹ Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2021). The Cost of College Tuition has Remained Stable..

² 2 Villanova University Office of Financial Assistance. (n.d.) Financial Aid Assistance: Understanding Your Financial Aid, 2019-2020 Academic Year.

³ U.S. PIRG Education Fund and the Student PIRGs. (2014). Fixing the Broken Textbook Market.

⁴ Common Data Set Initiative. (n.d.). Common Data Set 2020-21 [Villanova response]. Retrieved from http://www.commondataset.org/.