Faculty Choice: Compare Textbook Models: Home

Instructors have many choices when assigning textbooks and other course readings. Here are several options at UT.

This page is part of the Libraries' Open Education Portal.

Which model works best for your class?

Review the options below. Choose one, or mix and match. Note: There are additional alternatives (such as Course Reserves) below the table.

Physical Textbooks

Students buy new or used copies from a variety of sources.

VolShop's interface allows students to compare costs of textbooks from various vendors and purchase the title at the lowest price.

Build from Library Subscriptions

Students login to the Libraries' subscription collections for selected articles, books, videos, etc.

The Libraries' collections and subscriptions include thousands of e-books and streaming videos in addition to online scholarly journals.

Inclusive Access Program

Students are opted-in to purchase a short-term rental of an e-copy.

Textbook charges are added directly to a student's bursar bill, unless a student opts-out. Scholarships and student loans can cover these textbooks costs. Supplemental materials incur additional charges. Students lose access after the semester ends.

Open Textbooks

Books are free to everyone, everywhere, thanks to grant funds or subsidies. No login required.

Many open textbooks are grant funded, or subsidized by institutions giving small stipends to authors. Subject coverage is wide-ranging, but options may be limited in some disciplines.

Comparison Chart

	Physical Textbooks	Build from Library Subscriptions	Inclusive Access	Open Textbooks
Available to Students	Upon purchase	As long as they are a student/staff at UT with NetID	First day of class (unless student opts-out) through Last day of class	Any time
Cost	Varies; Students may be able to find used copies for less	Free* *Students pay tuition and library fees, which contribute to the Libraries' collection budget. Students have access to library subscription resources for as long as they are UT students or staff with a NetID.	Significantly less than new copies (up to 65% savings); Students are automatically opted-in and billed on their bursar's bill	Free. Print copies may be purchased for a small fee.
Student Ownership	Purchase; Retain or resell	Access with NetID; Can usually download a copy for personal use	Rental of digital copy limited to a semester	Can download, retain, share, etc. at any time
Faculty Time in Preparation	Varies	Significant (must choose readings)	Varies	Varies
Tailoring Content	Instructors can supplement; Tailoring text not permitted	Instructors can supplement; Tailoring texts not permitted	Instructors can supplement; Tailoring texts not permitted	Licensed to allow tailoring of text
Supplemental Materials	May be available	Find or build	May be available	May be available
Best Practice	Place book orders early (at least by the preferred deadlines) so the VolShop can buy back books from students. Early orders also give students more opportunities to comparison shop.	Link to articles or e-books in Canvas (don't share the full PDF) so the Libraries can gather usage statistics.		Use this online form to tell the Libraries that you're adopting an open textbook. The Libraries will notify the VolShop, Provost's Office and SGA, and will use the reported data to estimate overall student savings.
More Information	VolShop	OneSearch for print and e-collections; list of all E-Book subscription collections; Libraries Streaming Video Guide	VolShop Inclusive Access	Libraries Open Textbook Guide; List of open textbooks at University of Minnesota's Open Textbook Library; List of faculty open textbook adopters at UT Also try your professional society (such as the American Institute of Mathematics' Open Textbook Initiative) or Project Gutenberg and HathiTrust for texts in the Public Domain

Other Alternatives

Don't forget about the Libraries' Course Reserves. Place a copy of a textbook on course reserve for short-term student access. Loan periods range from 2 hours to 3 days.

The Frieson Black Cultural Center's Book Loan Program gives students semester-long access to extra copies of textbooks on a first-come, first-served basis.