Date post: | 01-Nov-2014 |
Category: |
Education |
Upload: | nicole-allen |
View: | 1,097 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Issue Background
Issue Background
Textbooks cost
$900per year for the
average student
Issue Background
Prices rising
4 times the rate of inflation
250%
200%
150%
100%
50%
0%
1989 1994 1999 2004 2009
Textbook Prices
Textbooks
Inflation
Issue Background
26% of tuition @ public 4-year
72% of tuition @ comm. college
Textbooks cost HOWmuch???
Issue Background
Campaign started by students at UCI in 2003
Our report Rip-Off 101 exposed the problem.
Issue Background
6th Edition
Outrageous
Prices
$238.95only
Issue Background
used 5th edition
$81.78
6th Edition
$224.95
Unnecessary
New Editions
Issue Background
$213.95
with CengageNOW Personal Tutor CD, Student Study Guide, InfoTrac 2-Semester Printed Access Card
StatisticsCostly
Bundles
Issue Background
•Withholding price info from professors
•Charging far lower prices overseas
•Custom and loose leaf editions sabotage resale
•“Cheaper” e-books end up costing more
Issue Background
“Market Failure”
Issue Background
Producer
Consumer
Normal Market
Issue Background
Publisher
ProfessorStudent
Textbooks Market
Issue Background
Rx Drug Company
DoctorPatient
Similar to...
Issue Background
New Federal Law:
• Part of the Higher Education Opportunity Act (“HEOA”) of 2008
• Went into effect on July 1, 2010
Issue Background
New Federal Law:1. Publishers must disclose prices and
revision histories – proactively.
2. Publishers must offer the option to purchase supplements separately.
3. Colleges must list book assignments during registration.
Issue Background
Requirements for a Solution:
1. High Quality
2. Sustainable
3. Affordable
4. For All Students
Solutions
Solutions
“Students have more options than ever before”
• 75% the new cost in the bookstore
• 60% of the new cost online
• Buy from from friends, classmates
Used Books
Solutions
• 40% of the new cost
• Online companies – rent by mail
• Many bookstores have started to rent
Renting
Solutions
• 50% of the new cost
• Usually like a180-day rental.
• Available for many different devices.
E-Books
Solutions
Used Books
New editions
Bundles
Custom editions
Perpetuating the problem
RentalsPrices based on new books – will rise just as fast
Not everyone wants to rent
E-BooksNo resale value, but cost more than renting
Limitations on access, printing
Most students prefer print
Solutions
66%Keep Some
34%RentAll
Student Preferences
75%Prefer print
25%Prefe
r digita
l
Solutions
Maximum savings of all three options
combined is 34%
Solutions
Solutions
Requirements for a Solution:
1. High Quality
2. Sustainable
3. Affordable
4. For All Students
Solutions
Solutions
Solutions
Models for Affordability
Open Textbooks
1. Like regular texts:• Table of contents,
chapters, exercises
• Written by experts
• Edited and reviewed
Open Textbook
Online: FreePrint:
$26.98
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks2. Except affordable:• Free online to everyone
• Downloadable, printable at no additional cost
• Hard copies for $20-30
Open Textbook
Online: FreePrint:
$19.95
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks3. And flexible:• Instructors can
customize by adding, editing, combining
• New editions are optional
Open Textbook
Online: FreePrint:
$29.95
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks
Benefits of open textbooks:
• All students have access online
• Print copies and other formats are optional and affordably priced
• Empower students as consumers
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks
• Make copies and change formats
• Distribute copies
• Create customized versions
“Open” = Open License
Benefits for faculty:• All students have
access
• New editions are optional
• Ability to customize
Open Textbooks
Benefits for students:
• Online access is free
• Other formats are fairly priced (PDF, print, etc.)
• Flexibility to use their preferred format
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks
How does it work?
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks
1. Individual authors• Personal motivations
• Sabbatical time/grant funding
• Count open textbooks toward tenure?
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks
2. Institutional projects• A consortium of 80+ community
colleges is pooling resources to write and review texts
• Rice University founded CNX.org, a platform that hosts numerous open textbooks
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks
3. Government funding• The WA community college
system received state funding for the 80 highest enrollment courses
• The Department of Labor recently announced a $2 billion grant program to create open course materials
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks
4. Commercial publishers
Open Textbooks
Publisher
ProfessorStudents
Textbooks Market
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks
Publisher
ProfessorStudents
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks
Open Textbooks
Requirements for a Solution:
1. High Quality
2. Sustainable
3. Affordable
4. For All Students
What You Can Do
What You Can Do
Open Textbooks:
1. Consider adopting
2. Spread the word to others
3. Seek support from your institution
4. Sign the Statement
What You Can Do
Reduce Costs for Students:
1. Use previous editions
2. Avoid bundles, custom
3. Turn book orders in on time
4. Sign the Statement
Nicole AllenTextbook AdvocateThe Student PIRGs
www.studentpirgs.org/open-textbooks