NC State estimates that students will spend around $870 on books and supplies for the current academic year. A new science textbook, like those used in our General and Organic Chemistry courses, can contribute significantly to this, with many books costing over $200.
With living expenses on the rise, this sometimes means that students choose not to purchase a textbook, and recent surveys suggest that those who do often do not frequently use it. Now, through the efforts of several Chemistry faculty members and with support from the NC State Libraries Alt-Textbook grant program, students will have access to Chemistry textbooks for free. Support from this grant over the course of the 2023-24 academic year will allow faculty in Chemistry to identify existing openly licensed books and customize them to better serve our students and faculty.
The Alt-Textbook program is supporting three teams of faculty:
- Drs. Ana Ison, Marion Martin, and Greg McCarty (CH 111: Preparatory Chemistry; annual enrollment of 700 students);
- Drs. Cassie Lilly and Kirsten Kramer (CH 220: Introductory Organic Chemistry; annual enrollment of 350 students);
- Drs. Naish Lalloo, Travis Varner, and Jeremy Feducia (Organic Chemistry 1&2; annual enrollment of 2700 students).
Through their efforts, the Department of Chemistry hopes to become a model for advancing financial equity and educational access in large enrollment STEM classrooms at NC State.
