Ancillaries
If you adopt a free textbook but would like the ease of a free or low-cost ancillary provider, there are several options available, below. Ancillaries offer time-saving features, including auto-grading. While some of these ancillary resources are free, others range from $10-25 per student.
Many low cost third-party providers, like Lumen Learning, work as direct bills to the enrolled students: instructors list the resource information on their syllabi for students. Students subscribe individually and receive access to course materials after payment. While not comparable to OER's barrier-free model, these can still significantly reduce the cost of learning materials, resulting in a total course learning materials fee of $25 for a class that previously had a $300 textbook.
Ancillary Repositories
- OER Commons
If you need assignments and ancillary material to integrate into your course, OER Commons has a rich collection for all courses. - OERTX
OERTX Repository is a public digital library of open educational resources for higher education. Search collections or create and collaborate to improve instruction. Focus is OER for Texas Core Courses.
Ancillary Providers
Free Ancillaries
- OpenStax Instructor Resources
OpenStax has great resources for faculty, and many faculty are unaware of these. Faculty can request an instructor account, which is completely free. With that instructor account, faculty have access to PowerPoint slides, and so much more. Create an instructor account and visit the Instructor Resources section for any Openstax book to uncover these treasures. - OpenStax Tutor
OpenStax Tutor is free to all Institutional Partner schools. UTSA is an Institutional Partner. OpenStax Tutor assists faculty with course creation. Among the many supports provided are: digital reading, personalized homework, a library of assessments, and LMS integration, OpenStax Tutor can be used for online, hybrid, and in-person courses. OpenStax Tutor is currently available for the following books only: Anatomy and Physiology; The AP Physics Collection; Biology 2e; Biology for AP Courses; College Physics; Entrepreneurship; Introduction to Sociology 2e; Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness; and Psychology 2e.
Low-Cost Ancillaries
- OpenStax: Tech ScoutOpenStax has a provider comparison called Tech Scout that may be helpful for sharing with faculty.OpenStax partners with many third-party technology homework providers. You can find a list of homework providers on each OpenStax book page under "Instructor Resources."
- Lumen Learning Waymaker Courses
The Waymaker courses fully integrate into Canvas with all of the ancillary materials.
Faculty can change/delete what they want. There is a course fee that can be paid through the bookstore, usually $25/student. Paying this fee opens up the quizzes. Everything else is open without payment.