Open Textbooks Now!

The high cost of textbooks has become a serious obstacle to accessing post-secondary education in BC. The commercial textbook industry makes huge profits off of students who are already facing a high cost of living, rising tuition fees, and student loan debt.

In the last two decades, the cost of textbooks has nearly doubled. In fact, 26% of BC students choose to not register for a course due to textbook costs, which negatively impacts their academic career. There is a solution to this problem: the implementation of Open Education Resources (OERs). 350,000 students have reported using OERs!

WHAT ARE OERS?

OERs come in many forms: full courses, lesson plans, videos, exams, textbooks, etc. These are available in digital formats for free or in print at a very low cost. With traditional textbooks, instructors must choose between delivering the curriculum they feel is right for their students and delivering a lesson that mirrors the commercial textbooks. Through open textbooks, instructors can mix and modify their textbooks to emphasize the lessons they want to deliver, with ancillary resources available to improve the learning experience.

WHO MAKES OERS?

BCcampus, an agency of the BC government, is tasked with centralizing efforts to create and enhance open education resources in the province. Since 2012, open textbooks have saved students over $41.5 million collectively through traditional, high-cost textbooks being replaced with OER options. More funding will result in more resources that will save students money, one class at a time! All it takes to expand the program is a commitment from instructors and administration to make saving students money a priority.

To learn more about BCcampus and to search the database of available resources, check out their website.

WHAT CAN I DO?

Talk to an instructor you think would be interested in adopting open education resources, or point them to your institution's library for information on OERs. You can also contact your students’ union if you’re interested in talking to your instructors but would like more support getting started.

BRING THE CAMPAIGN TO YOUR CAMPUS!

If you’re interested in starting the conversation about OERs on your campus but don’t know how to get going, download our campaign guide! It has helpful tips on how to begin, working with faculty and administrators, and successful campaign outreach.

Our materials are open access with a Creative Commons licence. We are happy to share with student groups who want to engage in outreach about OERs. Please contact us if you’d like to discuss using our existing printed materials or if you’d like to use the files to expand and localize your files to meet your unique needs.

ADVOCACY THROUGH THE YEARS

In 2018, the BC Federation of Students called on the BC government to invest $5 million in BCcampus for the Open Textbook Project, to allow for the development of more textbooks, course materials, and teaching materials to assist instructors. Additionally, student representatives from 13 member students’ unions donated $30,000 to BCcampus for the expansion of OERs. This advocacy led to the provincial government's decision to provide BCcampus with $250,000 to create and adapt open textbooks alongside an additional infusion of $3.26 million in 2019.

In 2026, the Federation began working with BCcampus on their Cost Indicators for Course Materials project. The goal of this project is to advocate to institutions to introduce cost indicators into their course registration systems to tackle the lack of transparency around additional course costs. This will allow students to see upfront costs for required materials, including textbooks, articles, course packs, lab manuals, and software.

By improving transparency around course material costs, this work will help students make informed choices and support institutions in creating more affordable and accessible learning experiences.