Barton Community College Launches Affordable Online Degrees with 'Textbook Freedom' for Local Students

Barton Community College has introduced a new initiative called 'Textbook Freedom' to improve educational affordability. This program, starting this fall, is an extension of the college's Open Educational Resources (OER) program initiated in 2018. Its aim is to offer a complete degree pathway using only OER and other affordable materials, to make higher education more accessible.

The 'Low-Cost Degree Pathway' enables students to take online courses that use OER and materials costing no more than $50, and often for free. This move addresses the increasing costs of higher education, especially textbooks. Lee Miller, Barton's Director of Innovation and Compliance, noted that lowering textbook costs can significantly reduce overall educational expenses.

Barton Community College has been proactive in adopting OER, providing over 160 OER-certified courses via its online platform, Barton Online. With the new courses added to the low-cost pathway, students can pursue an associate degree in science, arts, or general studies without the high costs of textbooks and course materials.

Since launching low-cost and no-cost course options in 2019, Barton estimates its students have saved over $1.2 million. These savings are based on the assumption that each student saves about $100 per textbook per course, according to the Kansas Board of Regents OER Steering Committee.

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