Create or use open textbooks
Open textbooks are a type of open educational resource (OER) that are free for everyone to use. Open textbooks provide an alternative to commercial textbooks and offer many benefits to you, your students and the community. Find out how you can author, adapt or adopt open textbooks.
Author an open textbook
Open Textbooks @ UQ, on the Pressbooks platform, enables you to author a new open textbook or adapt an existing open textbook for your course. You can:
- tailor content to enhance deeper learning and engagement.
- add local context, Indigenous perspectives and a diversity of viewpoints.
- update your textbook immediately and easily.
- add rich multimedia and interactivity.
- co-create content with your students.
Visit the Open Textbooks @ UQ catalogue to find open textbooks by UQ authors.
Submit the application form to create an open textbook.
Open Textbook Grant Program
You can apply for grant funding to create your open textbook.
Apply for a grant to create an open textbook
There are three types of grants available:
- Strategic grants for large-cohort courses, multiple courses, or courses that focus on topics that are strategically important to UQ – $6,000.
- Create an open textbook for your course – $4,000.
- Adapt an open textbook for your instructional needs – $2,000.
Adopt an open textbook
Find open textbooks to use in your course. Open textbooks and other OER usually have Creative Commons licences that allow others to freely copy, use, adapt and re-share them.
Benefits for your students:
- Free access to the open textbook. The cost of textbooks can be a barrier to student success.
- No limitations on access. This can be of particular concern during assessment time.
- An increased sense of belonging due to the inclusion of local context and a diversity of viewpoints.
Find other types of OER, including images, software, audio, video and whole courses.
Open Textbooks @ UQ snapshot has information about the use of Open Textbooks @ UQ books in courses and a text version of the following infographic:
Open Textbooks @ UQ snapshot
31
Open Textbooks @ UQ books
4,683
Students using Open Textbooks @ UQ books in their course in semester 2, 2024
11,431
Total number of students who have used Open textbooks @ UQ books in their course
$389,194
Total savings for students not having to purchase a textbook
What do UQ students think about open textbooks?
"I don’t have to stress about purchasing and it is more accessible... It is way more engaging and makes learning easy!"
"I liked my experience using the Social Cost Benefit Analysis book by Dr Suzanne Bonner. I wish more instructors would follow her lead.”
"Education (and academic success) should not be hidden behind paywalls …”
Our Textbooks today blog has more information on issues UQ students have with commercial textbooks and what they think about open textbooks.
Discover more about open textbooks at UQ
About Pressbooks
Learn more about our open book creation platform.
Google Analytics for our Pressbooks
You can adjust the date via the drop down option or view the full dashboard for more analytics.