Textbook Affordability Librarian
Course Material Types
This guide provides an overview of different course material types, highlighting what faculty can select that align with their instructional goals while improving student access and affordability. This guide is currently undergoing updates.
Free-to-Student Categories:
- Free:
The course material is free for students. There may be a monetary cost to the institution or a time cost to the faculty member if creating/adapting material is involved.
- Modifiable:
Faculty can edit, adapt, and remix this type of course material. Generally, if something is editable, then it falls within most Creative Commons Licenses except for ones including "ND" for "No Derivatives." Primary examples include Open Educational Resources (OER) or instructor-created resources.
- Open Access:
These materials are freely available online, but not always modifiable. Sometime there are limitations on how the material can be shared. The license needs to be inspected to understand the permissions.
Cost-Associated Categories:
- Cost - Discounted:
Course materials available at a reduced rate to students through UCF Bookstore's First Day inclusive access program, rental materials, digital or used materials.
- Cost - Full:
Traditional commercial textbooks (new format) or courseware that are not available in a discounted format or program.
For additonal information, please see UCF Libraries Textbook Affordability, UCF's Textbook Adoptions, UCF's Affordable Instructional Materials Initiative, and What is First Day®
Questions? Contact the Textbook Affordability Librarian, Lily Dubach, at lily@ucf.edu.
Open Educational Resources (OER)
Free | Modifiable | Open Access
Open Educational Resources (OER) are educational materials that are freely accessible and openly licensed, allowing users to retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute them without legal restrictions. Faculty find, adapt, or create OER to use as free and effective course materials. As defined by UNESCO, OER are: "learning, teaching and research materials in any format and medium that reside in the public domain or are under copyright that have been released under an open license, that permit no-cost access, re-use, re-purpose, adaptation and redistribution by others." Peer-reviewed OER are found through the Open Textbook Library. UCF-created OER are typically housed in Pressbooks, STARS, and within Webcourses. For more information and additional examples, see the UCF OER Guide.
Note: OER+ such as Barnes & Noble OER+ includes a student cost associated with the supplemental materials.
Open Source Materials
Free* | Modifiable | Open Access
"Open Source" is a term typically used for software but could refer to code, data sets, or tech-related tools released under an open source license. Modifications are permitted (and generally welcomed to encourage development and collaboration) as long as the license permits this. Open Source materials are not necessarily educational, but they can be used in education.
* Open source materials are typically free, but this is not always the case. Individuals may need to pay for access.
Open Access Materials
Free | Open Access
Open Access materials are those that are freely accessible for anyone to use without any additional permissions needed. This can include many scholarly materials, such as books, journal articles, and all open educational resources. Not all open access materials have the same level of flexibility or permission as open educational materials, and may not necessarily be revised, adapted, remixed, or redistributed, depending on the copyright status or license.
Open Access, OER, and Open Source Venn Diagram © 2025 by Lily Dubach is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
UCF Libraries Resources
Free
UCF Libraries - Full Access: These are types of library materials that an entire course (or the whole university) can utilize at one time. Examples include, but are not limited to, an eBook or streaming video that permit unlimited simultaneous users. Leganto is a tool within Canvas that helps ensure that library resources connect seamlessly within courses.
UCF Libraries - Limited Access: These types of library materials permit a limited number of students to use them simultaneously. Examples include a 1-user or 3-user eBook, a database with limited simultaneous logins, or a physical book placed on Course Reserves at the library. Limited access materials cannot be assigned to the whole class if all students need access to the material at the same time. Leganto can help clarify access restrictions or other considerations for library resources.
UCF Bookstore: Rented Textbooks
Cost - Discounted
Rented textbooks can be physical or digital. For physical textbooks rented from the UCF Bookstore, they must be returned by the last day of that semester's final exam period.
The UCF Libraries recommends checking on whether your course materials are free-to-students through the library before exploring discount options.
UCF Bookstore: First Day® Inclusive Access Program
Cost - Discounted
First Day® is the UCF Bookstore’s Inclusive Access program. With this program, the cost of course materials is added as a "digital course material fee" to the UCF Student Account. These digital course materials are available on or before the first day of class. By opting into First Day® course materials, students are able to defer payment through their student account and have materials covered by financial aid. For questions, please contact firstday@ucf.edu.
The UCF Libraries recommends checking on whether your course materials are free-to-students through the library before exploring discount options.