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K-State Today

October 1, 2019

Apply by Dec. 2 for Open/Alternative Textbook Initiative funds

Submitted by Darchelle Martin

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Join the ranks of K-State instructors who are making higher education more affordable for their students. Rather than assigning a traditional, expensive textbook, consider teaching from a low or no-cost open or alternative textbook.

The Open/Alternative Textbook Initiative provides financial incentives to instructors who convert their university courses from traditional textbooks to open or alternative texts. K-State faculty can receive $2,000-$5,000 for investing their time and research to make the switch. Since 2014, faculty from 37 academic departments and units have converted more than 120 courses.

Applications should be submitted online by Dec. 2 for this award cycle. Workshops will be scheduled soon and announced in K-State Today. Faculty and instructors interested in applying for funds are encouraged to attend a session to learn more about submitting a successful application. Sessions will also be posted on the Libraries website.

Have questions? Contact Brian Lindshield, associate professor of human nutrition; Andy Bennett, department head and professor of mathematics; or the Center for the Advancement of Digital Scholarship.

The initiative, which launched in 2013, was initially supported through student-centered tuition enhancement grants allocated by the K-State SGA and funding from K-State Libraries. In subsequent years, it has attracted additional funders, including the president and provost's offices, the KSU Foundation, and private donors. In each of the last two years, annual savings to students has exceeded $1.575 million dollars.