Using open education resources is gaining ground in other community colleges.
Rogers said he became more interested in the alternative after visiting the Maricopa County Community College District in Arizona last February.
There, he sat in on a presentation about a project the district's 10 colleges launched to save its students $5 million over five years by decreasing the cost of course materials.
In the 2013-14 school year, Maricopa County Community College District students saved about $1.4 million in course material costs.
Lisa Young, who teaches at Scottsdale Community College and is the director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, said faculty had an interest in finding quality materials while helping to lower costs for students.
"A lot of the students weren't buying (textbooks) at all or didn't have them on the first day, and this way it increased access," she said.
The college is part of the Maricopa County Community College District. (operated by Follett)