Cal State Adds Lumen Courseware to Menu of Affordable Textbooks

closeup of stack of textbooks

California State University's Affordable Learning Solutions (AL$) initiative has partnered with Lumen Learning to make courseware from the open educational resources provider available to faculty and students across the system.  

Since 2010, CSU AL$ has worked with courseware providers to assemble a broad selection of free and low-cost course materials, to make it easier for faculty to find and adopt affordable textbooks and reduce the overall cost of education for CSU students. Materials are reviewed for accessibility as well as quality and integrity of the learning content. Through the partnership, Lumen's digital courseware is now available to CSU instructors as a low-cost textbook option for many general education courses.

"Faculty in California, as in many other parts of the country, are looking for ways to reduce barriers to student success without sacrificing the quality of the learning experience for their students," commented Wendy Wright, retail management program manager at Cerritos College, in a statement. "Lumen is a natural fit as a CSU AL$ partner because its courseware combines open educational resources with learning design that can help a broad spectrum of students. Our students tell us they enjoy learning with these course materials, and teachers feel students are retaining more and doing better as a result."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • The AI Show

    Register for Free to Attend the World's Greatest Show for All Things AI in EDU

    The AI Show @ ASU+GSV, held April 5–7, 2025, at the San Diego Convention Center, is a free event designed to help educators, students, and parents navigate AI's role in education. Featuring hands-on workshops, AI-powered networking, live demos from 125+ EdTech exhibitors, and keynote speakers like Colin Kaepernick and Stevie Van Zandt, the event offers practical insights into AI-driven teaching, learning, and career opportunities. Attendees will gain actionable strategies to integrate AI into classrooms while exploring innovations that promote equity, accessibility, and student success.

  • illustrated university campus with modern buildings, glowing binary code streaming straight and dynamically from multiple directions, integrated into the architecture, surrounded by stylized trees, grass, and walkways

    3 Ways Institutions Can Become Data-Driven Organizations

    Faced with declining enrollments and changing demographics, colleges and universities must make use of data and analytics to better serve students.

  • NVIDIA DGX line

    NVIDIA Intros Personal AI Supercomputers

    NVIDIA has introduced a new lineup of AI-powered computing solutions designed to accelerate enterprise workloads.

  • digital network with glowing blue and red lines, featuring multiple red arrows shifting in different directions

    Report: Attackers Change Tactics as Ransomware Payoffs Decline

    Attackers are changing tactics as they collect less money from ransomware payoffs, according to a new report from Chainalysis, a blockchain analytics firm.