Online textbooks worth pursuing at Alamo Colleges - Gloria Padilla, My San Antonio

College textbooks come with a hefty price tag, but students at the Alamo Colleges may be in for a break as the district works to create more certificate and degree programs that rely solely on free online content. The use of open educational resources — commonly referred to as OER — in college curriculum has grown tremendously in the last five years. Among the pluses: They provide students with current, highly relevant information because there is no publication delay. The downside is that professors don’t have the teaching extras that textbook publishers often offer, such as PowerPoint presentations and supplemental materials. http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/columnists/gloria_padilla/article/Online-textbooks-worth-pursuing-at-Alamo-Colleges-8323907.php