NoLo = No or Low-Cost Courses
At UAF, courses tagged as “No or Low Cost” in the schedule do not require textbooks or materials in excess of $40.
Reducing costs for students is the goal for NoLo courses. Tuition and textbook costs have skyrocketed the last ten years and some students can not afford to purchase expensive materials. Several recent studies have shown that 65% or more students skip purchasing textbooks due to cost. Offering NoLo courses with minimal materials cost can increase equitable learning opportunities for all students.
NoLo materials are not necessarily OER – but OER are a great resource to start with when trying to reduce costs for students to get your course to a NoLo status.
NoLo only pertains to required course textbooks, workbooks, online homework platforms or other publisher-provided tools and materials. This amount does not include equipment (like art supplies, calculators or physical lab materials), regular course fees, lab fees, proctoring fees, or tuition.
Attention Faculty:
Do you teach a NoLo course?
Please contact your department admin staff and ask them to update your course in CourseLeaf Course Scheduler (CLSS) to have the NoLo attribute attached.
Have questions?
See our FAQ page
Bookstore Information
Even if you don’t have any textbooks or materials that students need to purchase, it is important to let the bookstore know that your materials are free for students. Your students will be looking at the bookstore for what they need. Including a statement like “No Store Supplied Materials/See Instructor for Details” will alert the student that they don’t need to worry about getting their textbooks from the bookstore.
Reading
Coles, A., Keane, L., & Williams, B. (2020). Beyond the College Bill: The Hidden Hurdles of Indirect Expenses. uAspire. Retrieved from: www.uaspire.org/BlankSite/media/uaspire/Beyond-the-College-Bill.pdf
Vitez, K. (2018). Open 101: An Action Plan for Affordable Textbooks. The Student PIRGS. Retrieved from: https://studentpirgs.org/2018/01/25/open-101-action-plan-affordable-textbooks/
Moss, J. (2021). Why should we care about OER? iTeachU Teaching Tips. UAF eCampus.