Hancock College and three other community colleges in California will be able to provide free textbooks and materials to students after receiving a $1.9 million U.S. Department of Education grant, a college spokesman said Tuesday.
The federal Open Educational Resources grant is aimed at sharing and creating resources for diverse and underserved students at community colleges, according to Hancock spokesman Chris McGuinness.
Open educational resources include free, high-quality textbooks, homework systems and even college courses.
“The cost of textbooks and other course materials continues to be a barrier for many students,” Hancock Superintendent and President Kevin G. Walthers said. “This grant will help remove those barriers and ensure that all of our students have equitable access to the quality education that Hancock provides.”
Under the terms of the grant, Hancock, West Hills Community Lemoore, the College of Marin and College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita will form the California Consortium for Equitable Change in Hispanic Serving Institutions Open Education Resources, or CC-ECHO, program.
According to McGuinness, the grant is expected to save students over $2.2 million in textbook costs across the four colleges over the next three years.
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