We in the library as well as those in the administration (and our students) know that textbooks can be very expensive; therefore, we encourage faculty members to use Open Educational Resources (OER) wherever they exist with sufficient quality to meet the educational need in place of--or in addition to less expensive--textbooks in their courses.
What you may not know is that there is a search filter (attribute) built into Banner, the university's course registration system, that allows you to identify courses that use OER or that have no associated textbook costs. This is one of a few ways we can help you to cut down on the costs of your educational experience.
Below are some brief step-by-step instructions to show you how to find and use this attribute to identify courses that will spark your intellectual curiosity AND be as affordable as possible:
1) Begin at My.SUNYEmpire.edu.
2) Click the button for "Registration and Course Offerings"
3) Select the link that says "Browse Term Guide"
4) Under "Select a Term for Class Search" use the drop-down menu to select the term you want
5) On the "Enter Your Search Criteria" page, scroll down to the field for "Attribute." Start typing the word "open" and select the "Open Educ Resource Available" option, and/or type the word "no" and select "No Cost Textbook Opt Available" to populate that field. Add the rest of your search requirements, and click "Search."
