Open Education Resources
The first in Maricopa County, Scottsdale Community College offers a hybrid textbook-free degree program aimed at making college more accessible and affordable. The program saves students as much as $3,700 toward the cost of a two-year degree. Associate of Arts degrees are designed for students who plan to transfer to four-year colleges and universities.
Open Education Resources = Zero Textbooks
SCC’s new Textbook-free Associate of Art degree pathway uses open education resources (OER) in place of printed textbooks. These high-quality electronic course materials have been released under intellectual property license and reside in the public domain. Using a hybrid format, courses will include a mixture of in-class and online participation.
Reducing the Financial Burden for College Students
Textbook costs total up to a third of the price of a college education at the Maricopa Community Colleges. The textbook-free associate degree program is a meaningful and efficient way to reduce education expenses for students and complement in-class learning.
Student Success
The Textbook-free Degree pathway saves students money and the hybrid format promotes success. In line with national trends, SCC has seen positive results from its other hybrid learning programs that combine in-class and online learning. Often, students enrolled in hybrid courses outperform their in-class and online-only peers.
Support Services for Students
The textbook-free degree pathway includes embedded support services such as:
- Tutoring
- Advisement
- Orientation to hybrid (in-class and online) learning
"The textbook-free degree pathway is about reducing in-class college course requirements to better accommodate students whose busy work and life schedules might otherwise hinder their pursuit of a degree."