The hidden financial costs of higher education, especially highly-priced textbooks, can create monetary barriers that bar students from full access to course materials. VCU’s Affordable Course Content Awards (ACCA) strive to lessen these strains by granting active professors funding and support to create Open Educational Resources (OERs) for their classes. Professors work with current public access educational materials and customize materials for their specific sections, tailored directly to VCU students. The textbooks become interactive, living documents that are open to change, all while saving thousands in student expenditures. Several faculty have had the opportunity to compile and further adapt OER course materials over the past five years and reflect on their experiences.

Microbiology Lab Manuals

Joseph Battistelli, Ph.D., was awarded an Affordable Course Content Award in 2019, which set out to create an illustrated, open lab manual and accompanying collection of photos for Microbiology Lab (BIOZ303) and Medical Microbiology Lab (BIOZ209). Battistelli’s project is a “remix” of existing open microbiology lab manuals, meaning it draws on existing openly licensed resources to create a custom resource for his classes. It also contains original photographs, provided in context within the text and separately as a resource bank with detailed metadata, to help students understand the specific context of the lab they’ll be working in throughout the course. 

The Microbiology Lab Manuals have been in use for 14 semesters, with more than 2,600 students impacted and over $91,000 in student savings. 

What drew you to engage with open education work?

I was attracted to the program because it seemed like such a great opportunity for my students. It provided a custom lab manual for students for free. A purchased lab manual is a compilation of information that is provided for free with most purchased lab media. The OER lab manual was a great way to save students money and create a more custom lab experience for students.

How have your students been impacted by your participation in the ACCA program?

The lab manual has pictures from our actual lab to make a more immersive manual to better prepare students to complete lab activities. The training on creating online content helped me make better content for students. I think students have a safer lab experience because of the preparedness the custom lab manual offers.

How has your teaching been impacted by your participation in the ACCA program?

ACCA provided training in inclusivity and meeting ADA requirements that I would not have gotten anywhere else. By enriching my understanding of accessibility, I was able to create a better lab manual for students. It is taking me a very long time to finish, but I think it will be a much better experience for students.

Were there any takeaways from the program that surprised you?

The friendships I made from outside my department were unexpected. I say hi to a friend from the school of education multiple times a semester when we walk to or from our cars together. It's been really nice to get perspectives from faculty outside my home department. I was also surprised by how much training for ADA compliance was provided. I am really grateful for that training. 

Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application

Associate Professor and biologist Jill Reid was awarded a 2020 Affordable Course Content Award to customize an existing OER on Human Nutrition, adding media and interactive self-assessments, and nutritional examples relevant to the VCU community. The resource has been in use in Nutrition (BIOL217) since Fall 2021 and has been continuously customized and updated to ensure the resource stays relevant and useful. 

Reid’s adaptation of Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application has been in use for more than 10 semesters, has impacted nearly 3000 VCU students and generated more than $388,577 in student savings. 

What drew you to engage with open education work?

The cost of textbooks was a significant barrier for many students—some couldn’t afford them at all, while others had to delay purchasing until financial aid was disbursed. This often left students behind from the start, putting them at a disadvantage for the entire semester. Access to course materials shouldn’t determine student performance, but too often it did; those without timely access frequently struggled to keep up.

I used to switch textbooks every few years to find more affordable options, but this meant extra work revising course materials and assessments. Adopting OER has solved both issues: I can tailor and update content as needed, and students gain immediate, free access—no waiting for shipping or trips to the bookstore.

How have your students been impacted by your participation in the ACCA program?

The most immediate benefit was the reduction in financial strain—students are genuinely grateful not to have to purchase expensive textbooks. Many have been impressed by the quality of the OER materials, with some even saying it was the first time they had fully engaged with a textbook. With OER, every student has access to required readings from day one, eliminating delays and ensuring no one is left behind. This immediate access has had a tremendous positive effect on student success.

How has your teaching been impacted by your participation in the ACCA program?  

It’s been a huge relief not having to search for affordable textbooks each semester or spend time adjusting my teaching materials to fit a new one. With OER, I have the flexibility to align content directly with my course objectives. OER has also encouraged me to think more creatively about how I present content and how students engage with it, resulting in a more rewarding learning experience.

Were there any takeaways from the program that surprised you?

I first encountered OER about 12 years ago when OpenStax released several free, high-quality science textbooks, including one for biology. I immediately adopted it for my summer course, and students loved not having to purchase a textbook. Since then, the range and quality of OER—both from OpenStax and other sources—have grown tremendously and continue to impress me.

Foundations of Business, 2nd Edition

Foundations of Business began with a 2020 ACCA grant to a faculty member no longer at VCU. When Dr. Holly Jackson arrived at VCU to teach the same course, she picked up the project. Jackson reapplied for additional funding in 2022 to finish the first edition of Foundations of Business, and recently completed the second edition at the end of the Spring 2025 semester. 

The text includes the basic foundational concepts of business environments, as well as business functions and practices and strives to build awareness of corporate social responsibility and ethical business behavior. The text is a “remix” of several existing business open textbooks, with updates for relevancy and to include representation of diverse voices and perspectives, plus original content written in collaboration with VCU School of Business faculty and practitioners working in the field.

Foundations of Business has been in use for eight semesters, has impacted about 1,100 students and generated more than $97,000 in student savings. 

What drew you to engage with open education work?

Honestly, the person in the position before me started on the project, so I picked it up when I came into the role.  It was an easy decision to make because an OER textbook can increase equity in access for the course(s) it supports.  

How have your students been impacted by your participation in the ACCA program?

I have appreciated the opportunity to create something that could be used by students even after they take the course.  I also appreciate that finances do not play into the decision to have the textbook available to them during the semester.  In another course that I teach, I work with students every semester who try to avoid buying the text, or fall behind in the course because they are not prepared to purchase the text right away. I don’t want that to be a decision that the students make, as it can impact how much they take away from the course.

How has your teaching been impacted by your participation in the ACCA program?   

When you have a textbook that is for purchase, you can’t make adjustments to the text to align with what you are teaching, school initiatives, etc.  In the case of the OER text, however, I have updated the text each year to align with course changes, school-wide initiatives (e.g., concepts that align with the Institute of Transformational Leadership) and efforts to create an inclusive atmosphere (e.g., updates to ensure more inclusive language/images/structure). This has made it a great tool for students that not only complements their learning to the highest degree, but allows them to understand how the concepts relate to what they are currently living and seeing within our VCU community.

Were there any takeaways from the program that surprised you?

Don’t be overwhelmed by the idea of OER work! There are resources to support the project throughout – before, during and after the text is released.  It becomes a working document that complements and aligns with what you feel is important for students to learn, and it allows every single student to come into the course with the same resources available to them.  In this way, it can alleviate stress for you and them.  And while you will not receive royalties for the end result, there are funds out there to help support you as you develop the work.  Sometimes our greatest legacy will not be measured by how much money we made, but the impact that we have made on those that we have helped to grow.

Biological Basis of Behavior

Caroline Cobb, Ph.D., received an Affordable Course Content Award in 2022. Along with a team of contributors from the Psychology department, Cobb created a comprehensive open resource for a graduate course on the biological basis of behavior. Project team members represent different psychology programs to ensure the resource is applicable to all doctoral students. This text also includes supplemental resources to integrate the social context related to these topics and address the impact of historic harms to minoritized populations from a behavioral neuroscience lens.

Biological Basis of Behavior has been in use for three semesters, has impacted 50 students and generated nearly $10,000 in student savings. 

What drew you to engage with open education work?

I had seen and heard about faculty engaging with OER, but feedback from my own students regarding high textbook costs was the main driver in my decision to apply for an OER grant and attempt to remix a textbook for my course! 

How have your students been impacted by your participation in the ACCA program?

After three semesters of using my remixed textbook as well as integrating a renewable assignment into my course, I have found student feedback to be overwhelmingly positive. By participating in the ACCA program, I have gained expertise in finding engaging and accessible content and creating innovative assignments that I believe improve the student experience. 

How has your teaching been impacted by your participation in the ACCA program?   

I'm definitely getting more comfortable with changing my teaching methods and assignment structures. I appreciate how the ACCA program exposes me to experts in the field, new strategies in open education work, and gives me a safe place to workshop them with colleagues. Without their support, I would have struggled in implementing my first renewable assignment.

Were there any takeaways from the program that surprised you?

I have been impressed with the support from the program staff as well as the community of scholars that participate in this work. It shouldn't surprise me how awesome VCU can be, but I feel so lucky to be a part of this effort!

Health Psychology

Natalie Dautovich, Ph.D., was granted an Affordable Course Content Award in 2020 to begin creating an interactive resource that covers all of VCU’s health psychology courses. Dautovich received another ACCA award in 2023 to continue work on the project with an additional project team member, Morgan Reid, Ph.D. The resource integrates content localized to the Richmond community and connections to community engagement as a central part of the course.

Health Psychology has been in use for seven semesters, has impacted 668 students and generated over $178,000 in student savings. 

What drew you to engage with open education work?

My approach to teaching is student-centered, but the textbook aspect of their learning did not seem student-centered. Often, the books didn't fully meet students' needs, they were prohibitively expensive, and they became a source of stress in the classroom.

How have your students been impacted by your participation in the ACCA program?

Students report feeling 'seen', like their needs have been acknowledged. They also report reduced stress related to procuring and purchasing the textbook and feel more of a sense of belongingness in the class.

How has your teaching been impacted by your participation in the ACCA program?   

I have learned so much! ACCA's student-centered and inclusive approach has influenced my teaching style. I am much more aware of student learning styles, creating accessible spaces and materials, and representing students in the works they use.

Were there any takeaways from the program that surprised you?

I just think this is an amazing program that is such a valuable resource for VCU. It's a gem that truly enhances the student experience at VCU.