We know that paying for textbooks can be a burden, and we want to help. Beginning Spring Semester 2017, BHCC will offer a limited number of courses that are textbook-free through the Open Education Resources (OER) Initiative at BHCC.

What is OER?

Open educational resources (OER) are educational resources that reside in the public domain or have been released under a copyright license that permits anyone to freely use and repurpose them. The resources can be textbooks, articles, videos, activities and other materials used in your classes.

What are we doing here at BHCC?

BHCC supports a campus OER Initiative, which aims to create entire courses that utilize OER materials. Faculty members design courses around OER materials to allow students to get the most out of their classes without having to purchase a costly textbook.

BHCC is one of 38 community colleges across the country that participated in the OER Initiative, which was sponsored by Achieving the Dream. The project aimed to boost college access and completion, particularly for underserved students.

So far, BHCC students have saved almost $1.5 million dollars by taking OER courses.

What classes will be available?

You can browse for OER classes in the same way that you register for your other classes. OER courses will be denoted as Z (e.g. PSY101-WB1Z). You can browse available courses in the Student Planning tab of Self Service by choosing Open Educational Resources (OER) Courses from the course “Type” menu. In Fall 2019 over 90 OER courses are being offered.

How do I register?

Registration for OER classes is the same as your normal registration process. Visit bhcc.edu/registration for how and when to register.

How much do OER courses cost?

OER courses have no textbook costs. Instead, OER courses have a $20 course fee that you pay as part of your tuition. This means that you will pay $20 for your OER course, but you will have no additional textbooks to purchase for your OER course.

Who do I talk to if I have questions?

Current students can contact their advisor with any questions regarding registration for OER courses. You can find your advisor on the Advising Tab in Student Planning. You can also contact BHCC’s Senior Special Programs Coordinator for Digital Learning – Ceit DeVitto at kmdevitt@bhcc.mass.edu.

 

Please visit our OER Library Guide for more information on Open Education Resources