SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER -- When professors put the required materials in a course syllabus, students who receive financial aid can use those funds to help pay for their books and other material costs, according to Jeff Jacoby, SFSU Broadcast and Electronic Communication Arts professor.
Just this spring, the Affordable Instructional Materials initiative gave students at the University the option of searching for and choosing classes that have no course materials fees, using only online articles and e-book sources that are free of charge for the entire semester.
Jacoby said he actually prefers giving his students online articles to read because it gives them different perspectives instead of just that of a textbook author.
The initiative set out to help students save money on class supplies, and since its implementation it has made a major difference for students at some CSU campuses.