When associate history professor Robert Ingram announced to his Western Civilization class that there would be no textbook required, he said he was met with a sigh of relief.

Instead, Ingram said he would scan documents for his students to read, rather than have them pay out of pocket for expensive college textbooks. 

The average undergraduate student at a public, four-year university spends $1,300 on textbooks and school supplies per year, according to 2015-16 data from College Board’s website. Ingram and a few other professors at Ohio University keep that in mind when developing their syllabi and course materials.

“I have dozens of dozens of students say, ‘thanks for not breaking my bank account,’” Ingram said.

That wasn’t always his classroom model. ...