Yuan Li

Li has replaced the primary textbook in all sections of her consumer behavior course with a mix of free and low-cost resources. She uses freely-available commercials, books from the UTSA Libraries, Ted Talks, and other freely-available news sources to enhance and diversify her curriculum.

More from Li:

"I think it is a great idea to choose open educational resources. They are especially appealing in the area of marketing where students are bombarded by thousands of commercials when listening to the radio in the car, watching TV, reading magazines, surfing on the Internet, or chatting with friends over social media. Marketers are great educators. They try to deliver messages in the most cost-efficient way. At the same time, it provides students with abundant opportunities to connect classroom learning with real life examples."

We are in an age of information explosion. It opens a new door for knowledge and learning through science and technology. Education, once a very limited resource to few, is now more accessible. An expensive textbook should not be a hurdle to any student with a strong desire to learn. I believe my colleagues share the same idea that we want to make learning and education more affordable for students, and to help them achieve any goals on their journey.”