Free Textbooks
Aims Free-to-Students (F2S) Initiative
Aims offers free textbooks for a variety of courses every semester either through the Free-to-Student's courses (F2S) or Reserve Textbook program. College textbooks can be a big expense, and we are thrilled to be able to offer these options to help.
Reserve Textbooks
Get Free Textbooks through the Library for some of your classes for the entire semester. Please note, the library does not provide eTextbooks or course codes. All reserve textbooks are provided on a first come, first served basis.
Courses at Aims with Free Textbooks
Check out the list of participating courses that offer free textbooks at the link below and be sure to check back for updates each semester.
*Please note, free textbooks are not available for all courses. Only selected courses are included in the Free Textbooks program.
The Free-to-Student (F2S) initiative at Aims grew out of early success with OER adoption by a few faculties and became part of Aims strategic plan; increase the adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) Tactical Goal under the Aims 5-year Strategic Plan (2018-2023) by 1%, year-over-year, for five years.
F2S resources are teaching and learning resources that are freely available to educators and students. This initiative not only aims at reducing costs for students but also improving course quality and increasing student success.
The F2S grant program provides funding to Aims faculty and instructors to review OER, adopt F2S resources and or develop free resources alternative to commercial textbooks. The goal of this grant initiative is to:
- encourage the implementation of cost-saving educational resources while improving academic success of Aims students.
These funds are provided by the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) and in house by Aims Community College.
Look out for future grant opportunities.
Visit Find OER to locate openly licensed content.
The F2S grant has entered it's s third year and will fund Aims full- or part-time faculty to completely redesign/redevelop any course:
- Course redevelopment (upto 5 grants @ $3,500 ea)
Additional Information
Faculty-created content must be OER and hold a CC license.
Materials not eligible for the grant include:
- Commercial e-text versions of an existing print textbook
- Textbook rentals
- Existing textbook alternatives already in use by faculty; the proposal must be a new project
Course Redevelopment Details
All courses developed as part of this grant will follow the same “Shareable Course Shell Development Process” that Aims’ uses for all redesigned courses in order to ensure the courses meet the same expectations.
The redevelopment or adoption of open or alternative resources may include any of the following or a combination:
- An existing open access textbook (see Find OER)
- Library resources (see Kiefer library)
- Combination of open educational resources, including open multimedia (e.g., TedTalks, YouTube videos, Wikimedia Commons) and Library resources
- Faculty-authored materials
To Qualify:
- You MUST currently be an Aims faculty member
- Complete F2S grant application
- Attend at least one ‘Open Pedagogy Projects’ workshop
- You MUST have Chair/Director support and demonstrate peer faculty support
Expectations/Deliverables:
- A complete shareable D2L course shell
- Free-to- Student (F2S) resources
- Work with LED and Librarians
- Final Approval
- Ongoing Training and Course Maintenance
The OER/F2S grant proposals will be reviewed by an Ad hoc committee made of faculties and staff. Prior experience teaching with OER content is acceptable, but not required. Priority will be given for courses in one or more of the following High Impact categories: GT, High DFW, High Student Enrollment, as well as to CTE courses.
Funded by the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE)
Should you have any questions regarding these courses please reach out to Doug.strauss@aims.edu.
Year 1 Courses
- Art Appreciation - ART 110
- General College Biology II - BIO 112
- Business Ethics and Values - MAN 112
- Intercultural Communication - COM 220
- Public Speaking - COM 115
- Introduction to Literature - LIT 115
- Medieval to Modern - HUM 122
- Responding to Emergencies - (HWE 122)
- Human Geography - GEO 106
- Social Psychology - PSY 226
Year 2 Courses
- Introduction to Women and Gender Studies - WST 200
- Cultural Anthropology - ANT 101
- Art History 1900-Present - ART 207
- Introduction to Energy Technologies - ENY 101
- Automation Control Circuits - ELT 248
Year 3 Courses
- In progress
OER Published Resources
Brown, Heather (2020). Responding to emergencies: Skills manual.
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1VYWe7v0tnJSRiwf0bP3CdeNs0nDGQ9ja. Licensed CC BY NC SA.
Cronckhite, Ty (2021). A handbook of classical rhetoric for advanced composition. https://words.pressbooks.com/. Licensed CC BY NC SA
Murray, Emma (2021). General Biology I & II for majors: Laboratory manual & workbook. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rQ7rFkY5TuiVcVceUXykq0xSmbQ-MO60. Licensed CC BY SA
Funded by Aims
These textbooks are located in the Open Textbook Library (OTL).
Catherine Beighey: Sociology Faculty
- OER Book Reviewed: Social Problems: Continuity and Change
Connie Lance: Computer Information Systems Faculty
- OER Book Reviewed: A Byte of Python - Python programming
Patrick Gilligan: English Faculty
- OER Book Reviewed: Let's Get Writing
Stephanie Newton: Visual and Performing Arts Faculty
- OER Book Reviewed: Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning for Art Appreciation
Emma Murray: Biological Science Faculty
- OER Book Reviewed: Biology 2e
Karen Scarpella: Social Sciences Faculty
- OER Book Reviewed: Introduction to Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies
Kimberli Bontempo: Psychology Faculty
- OER Book Reviewed: Psychology
Lori Adair: Extended Studies, Early College High School Faculty
- OER Book Reviewed: Stand up, Speak out: The Practice and Ethics of Public Speaking
Lou Cartier
- OER Book Reviewed: Business Ethics
Mark A. Moody: Geography Faculty
- OER Book Reviewed: World Regional Geography
Rebecca Sailor: Humanities and English Faculty
- OER Book Reviewed: World Literature I: Beginnings to 1650
Terri Devlin: Computer Science Faculty
- OER Book Reviewed: An Introduction to Computer Networks - Computer Networking