SLCC receives national award for using alternative to costly textbooks | fox13now.com

"SALT LAKE CITY — A faculty-led team at Salt Lake Community College is receiving national recognition for adopting a digital alternative to textbooks – a move they say has helped students save over $4.6 million. “This is a huge deal for our students, who often lack the financial resources to purchase expensive textbooks,” said SLCC biology professor Melissa Hardy in a statement sent to FOX 13. “I teach a course for which I still use a department-mandated traditional textbook, and it was heartbreaking this semester to receive emails from students saying they couldn’t afford to purchase the book. One student told me it was a choice between the textbook and buying medicine for his sick child. In contrast, when I teach with free, open textbooks, all my students have access to the course materials on Day One of the semester, and it makes a difference in their success.”