A Rice University educational technology initiative called OpenStax has received $1.13 million to develop three new and free computer science textbooks.
The funding comes from the Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Secondary Education. These textbooks, once published, are expected to save students over $110 million in five years.
This project “will not only enhance student engagement in computer and data science programs, it will remove barriers for underrepresented minorities in STEM,” said Daniel Williamson, managing director of OpenStax.
OpenStax leads CORE, a system of collaborators that includes the Association of American College and Universities, Pasadena City College, Florida International University, the Houston Community College System, and Prairie View A&M University.