The Mission

At Waubonsee, we believe that the cost of course materials should never be a barrier to academic success. We are committed to fostering an equitable learning environment by supporting faculty in the transition to high-quality, low-cost, and free instructional materials.

Why It Matters

By prioritizing affordability, we are saving students money and ensuring that every student has access to their required materials on the very first day of class, giving each of our students their best chance of succeeding.

$1.7m
Student savings from OER
$1.6m
Student savings from Inclusive Access
$191k
Student savings from low-cost materials

Our Approach

Reducing the financial burden on students requires a multi-faceted strategy. Our affordability initiatives are categorized into two primary pillars:

Person typing on a laptop with notes and a pen on a table.

Open Educational Resources (OER)

Teaching, learning, and research materials that reside in the public domain or have been released under an intellectual property license that permits their free use and re-purposing by others.

Library interior with rows of bookshelves filled with colorful books.

Affordable Educational Materials

High-quality course materials that are not "openly licensed" but are available at little to no cost to students. This includes library-licensed content (eBooks and journals), low-cost commercial textbooks, and Inclusive Access materials.