Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
How Fresno State Helped Students Save $1 Million on Books
By Myles Barker
Published 7 years ago on
August 21, 2018

Share

For many college students, taking a class where the textbook is free would be a dream come true.
After tuition and room and board, textbooks are the next biggest cost for college students.

“The cost of textbooks and course materials, in general, are too high and so it is not only our job as a bookstore, but as a campus to find ways to get the students the materials they need at the lowest cost possible.” — Dusty Guthier, course materials manager for Kennel Bookstore
Between 2002 and 2013, the price of college textbooks rose 82 percent — nearly three times the rate of inflation, according to a study by the Government Accountability Office.
In light of this, professors at Fresno State are finding ways to make textbooks and other course materials more affordable through the Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) Program.
As part of the California State University system’s AL$ effort, campus programs are funded by grants from the Chancellor’s Office and Assembly Bill 7989. 

Fresno States’s Goal: 30% Student Savings

The goal of AL$ at Fresno State is to have faculty reduce costs for course materials by at least 30 percent, said Dusty Guthier, the course materials manager for Kennel Bookstore.
Guthier said some professors are going all out by making course materials entirely free.
“I think it is great that we are able to lower our costs for our students,” Dusty said. “The cost of textbooks and course materials, in general, are too high and so it is not only our job as a bookstore, but as a campus to find ways to get the students the materials they need at the lowest cost possible.”

“I like actually having all of the stuff online, it made the course easier.” — Fresno State Student Marissa Arzola

A Student’s Perspective

Fresno State Student Marissa Arzola said her nutrition class last year enabled her to do all of her assignments on her computer, saving her over $100.
“It was good,” Arzola said. “I like actually having all of the stuff online, it made the course easier.”
Arzola said it also made her work harder to get her assignments done.
“With everything being online, my professor was able to check how long and what time we got [assignments] done by so that pushed me to get it done on time,” Arzola said.

Saved Fresno State Students $1 million Over Five Years

Since the inception of AL$ in 2010, the estimated student savings on textbooks throughout the CSU has been over $230 million.
Guthier said the program has helped save Fresno State students at least $1 million over the last five years.

“In order to provide the most optimal opportunity for student success, we want to be sure that students have access to their course materials so that they can be successful.” — Bryan Berrett, director for the Center for Faculty Excellence at Fresno State
One of the major ways students save money on textbooks, Guthier said, is buying used textbooks, digital textbooks, and renting textbooks.
“We have a very strong rental program in store, which allows students to rent the book at a much lower cost than purchasing it,” Guthier said, adding there are around 1,200 rentable books in the Kennel Bookstore.

Fresno City College Students Save Money, Too

Don Lopez, the vice president of instruction at Fresno City College, said the college has been participating in cost-saving measures for students most notably with Open Educational Resources. OERs are freely accessible, openly licensed text, media, and other digital assets that are useful for teaching, learning, and assessing as well as for research purposes.

“Community college students typically have greater challenges around finances so any cost savings that we can provide is going to be a benefit to them,” Lopez said, adding that the OER program is “one of a series of things that we are doing to help our students be successful.”

Immediate Access Program Slated To Save Students $500,000

Dusty said Fresno State is also offering the Immediate Access Program this fall. The program is a new textbook model in collaboration with top publishers that converts books into digital content.
Guthier said the new initiative will include nearly 80 courses, about 8,000 students, and will have a cost savings of about $500,000 for the fall semester.

Professor Says It’s Been a Smooth Transition

Nicole Smith, an assistant professor in the department of kinesiology at Fresno State, said AL$ has helped students.
Smith said she’s been offering an electronic version of her textbooks to students ——about half the cost of hard copies. She said the transition to electronic books has been smooth.
“Just from observation, they are definitely doing well with it,” Smith said. “They are having conversations and engaging better in class, which really means more to me than a test score.”

“Just from observation, they are definitely doing well with it. They are having conversations and engaging better in class, which really means more to me than a test score.” — Nicole Smith, assistant professor in the department of kinesiology at Fresno State
Bryan Berrett said the AL$ program is invaluable for students.
“In order to provide the most optimal opportunity for student success, we want to be sure that students have access to their course materials so that they can be successful,” said Berrett, the director for the Center for Faculty Excellence at Fresno State.
When he was a professor of deaf studies at Fresno State, Berrett said he helped students save hundreds of thousands of dollars on textbooks through the school’s DISCOVERe program. DISCOVERe is a mobile technology learning program where faculty incorporate technology into their teaching pedagogy.
“Part of the ask for faculty when they are redesigning their courses is that they reduce the cost of their course materials,” Berrett said, adding that over 330 faculty members are trained in the program.
“Classes are definitely becoming more and more digital-oriented,” Dusty said. “That is the society that we live in today.” — Dusty Guthier, course materials manager for Kennel Bookstore at Fresno State

Teaching Through Digital Technology Is The Future

Guthier said he encourages more professors at Fresno State and other colleges to utilize newer, more affordable ways of teaching their material.
“Classes are definitely becoming more and more digital-oriented,” Dusty said. “That is the society that we live in today.”

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Clovis Unified Families ‘Resigned’ To Grad Ceremony Ban, Attorney Says

DON'T MISS

Hegseth Orders the Name of Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk Scrubbed From Navy Ship

DON'T MISS

Knicks Fire Coach Tom Thibodeau After First Eastern Conference Finals Berth in 25 Years

DON'T MISS

US Judge Dismisses California’s Tariff Lawsuit, Teeing up Appeal

DON'T MISS

Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention

DON'T MISS

California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

DON'T MISS

After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope

DON'T MISS

Fellow Clovis Councilmember, Public Bash Pearce Over Trans Athlete

DON'T MISS

Musk Calls Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill ‘a Disgusting Abomination’

DON'T MISS

US Tariffs Could Put Air Safety at Risk, Aerospace and Airline Industries Warn

UP NEXT

Hegseth Orders the Name of Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk Scrubbed From Navy Ship

UP NEXT

Knicks Fire Coach Tom Thibodeau After First Eastern Conference Finals Berth in 25 Years

UP NEXT

US Judge Dismisses California’s Tariff Lawsuit, Teeing up Appeal

UP NEXT

Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention

UP NEXT

California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

UP NEXT

After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope

UP NEXT

Fellow Clovis Councilmember, Public Bash Pearce Over Trans Athlete

UP NEXT

Musk Calls Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill ‘a Disgusting Abomination’

UP NEXT

Trump to Sign Order Doubling Metals Tariffs, White House Says

UP NEXT

California Inmate Gets Five Years for Role in Drone Drug Smuggling Scheme

US Judge Dismisses California’s Tariff Lawsuit, Teeing up Appeal

8 hours ago

Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention

9 hours ago

California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

9 hours ago

After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope

10 hours ago

Fellow Clovis Councilmember, Public Bash Pearce Over Trans Athlete

10 hours ago

Musk Calls Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill ‘a Disgusting Abomination’

10 hours ago

US Tariffs Could Put Air Safety at Risk, Aerospace and Airline Industries Warn

10 hours ago

Trump to Sign Order Doubling Metals Tariffs, White House Says

11 hours ago

California Inmate Gets Five Years for Role in Drone Drug Smuggling Scheme

11 hours ago

Millions Invested in Land for Innovation Village. Will It Be a Fresno Game-Changer?

11 hours ago

Clovis Unified Families ‘Resigned’ To Grad Ceremony Ban, Attorney Says

Barring any last-minute about-faces by Clovis Unified officials, eight high school seniors won’t be joining their classmates at their ...

5 hours ago

5 hours ago

Clovis Unified Families ‘Resigned’ To Grad Ceremony Ban, Attorney Says

6 hours ago

Hegseth Orders the Name of Gay Rights Activist Harvey Milk Scrubbed From Navy Ship

6 hours ago

Knicks Fire Coach Tom Thibodeau After First Eastern Conference Finals Berth in 25 Years

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a chart next to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick as Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
8 hours ago

US Judge Dismisses California’s Tariff Lawsuit, Teeing up Appeal

9 hours ago

Young Democrats Offer Lessons for Their Leaders at Party Convention

9 hours ago

California Prisons Have a Narcotics Problem. Now, More People Will Face Canine Searches

10 hours ago

After Years of Undrinkable Water, Our Rural California Community Finally Has Hope

10 hours ago

Fellow Clovis Councilmember, Public Bash Pearce Over Trans Athlete

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend