6 Things to Know About Textbooks for Online Courses - Jordan Friedman, US News

Online students may consider purchasing rather than renting textbooks if they plan to keep course materials as career resources.  Certain professors may not assign any textbooks and will simply have students download a series of journal articles and other reading materials at no cost. Other online courses may utilize Open Educational Resources, or OERs, which are free materials on the internet that are often available to anyone and are produced through university, state or federally funded projects, says Tony Contento, program manager for the School of Professional Studies at Colorado State University—Global Campus. “What they represent is a free resource for students designed by active professors,” Contento says. “And sometimes these professors even design other materials – videos, interactives, assessments – for student and faculty use.”   https://www.usnews.com/higher-education/online-education/articles/2019-01-15/6-things-to-know-about-textbooks-for-online-courses