Local 12: UC Clermont professor creates free textbook for students to make higher education more affordable
Interactive accounting resource has saved students more than $100K
Local 12 recently spoke to University of Cincinnati Clermont Professor Patty Goedl about an interactive accounting resource she created that has saved students more than $100,000 so far.
In 2020, Goedl watched the average cost of a digital accounting textbook soar from approximately $30 per student to more than $200. Students were struggling to afford the resource they needed to succeed in class.
At first, Goedl negotiated with the publisher to decrease the cost of the textbook; but soon, the price rose again.
So, she created her own.
“Principles of Managerial Accounting” is now published as an OER, or open-education resource, by University of Cincinnati Press. The open-access digital textbook, which features videos, quizzes and other interactive features, is peer-reviewed and available for free to anyone through the UC Press website.
"I don't need the profit," Goedl told Local 12. "It was more important for me to give this to students who need the textbook more than I need the textbook revenue.”
Goedl’s free textbook has helped countless students, including Aly Bonawitz, a single mother and full-time online student who also works a full-time job. She says textbook price tags have made her reassess her priorities.
"That's groceries for a week for my daughter, or that's clothing for my daughter for when she starts school," said Bonawitz, a UC Clermont sophomore majoring in marketing and business management.
Watch and read the full story from Local 12.
Read more about Goedl.
Featured image at top: UC Clermont Professor Patty Goedl teaches an accounting class on campus. Photo/Danny Kidd
About UC Clermont
The University of Cincinnati Clermont College is located in the center of Clermont County on 91 beautiful, wooded acres in Batavia Township. The college is an accredited, open-access institution offering more than 60 programs and degrees. UC Clermont is part of the nationally recognized University of Cincinnati. For more information, call 513-556-5400 or visit www.ucclermont.edu.
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