B.C. works to deliver more free post-secondary textbooks

The provincial government is expanding the B.C. Open Textbook Project.

The B.C. Open Textbook Project includes approximately 170 titles that are free and online. Subjects range from the most popular first and second-year areas such as math and business, to skills and technical subjects such as trades foundation courses and adult upgrading. Twenty-three of the trades books are also available for download as free audiobooks.

The project also offers open education resources such as including a toolkit to make textbooks more accessible to people with disabilities.

“These textbooks offer students at universities and colleges throughout British Columbia the chance to save a lot of money on their path to success." said Minister of Advanced Education Andrew Wilkinson.

The B.C. government kick-started the Open Textbook Project with BCcampus in 2012 by providing $1 million in funding for open textbooks in high enrolment subject areas like sciences and maths.

In 2013, government made a platform commitment and provided further funding of $1 million to develop 20 additional open texts in skills and technical subjects.

Over 210 faculty members at 23 public post-secondary institutions in B.C. are currently participating in the Open Textbook Project.