No-cost learning material: Perspectives from industrial and systems engineering students

Lin Li, Kennesaw State University
Robert S. Keyser, Kennesaw State University
Raven Pierson, Kennesaw State University

Abstract

Affordable Learning Georgia (ALG) is an initiative that began in 2014, which supported faculty when transforming their previously required textbooks to low-cost, no-cost textbooks. The goal was to help reduce the financial burden on students in their pursuit of a college education. In this study, the researchers developed no-cost textbooks for two undergraduate industrial and systems engineering courses. Both quantitative and qualitative measures are used to assess the effectiveness of the textbook transformation and students’ experience of no-cost learning material in the Industrial and Systems Engineering program. The responses were overwhelmingly positive with respect to the no-cost textbooks in both courses.