How to Make Textbooks More Affordable

How to Make Textbooks More Affordable

August 13, 2018

Textbooks cost too much—and it’s hurting the educational experience for students.

According to the College Board, the average cost for books and supplies has reached $1,200 a year, and that’s forcing students to cut corners with their education. Many have no choice to but take on additional loan and credit card debt. A 2015 study found that about 40% of undergraduates and 76% of graduate students work at least 30 hours a week. Some even skip buying the book altogether. A 2016 survey into textbook pricing by the Student Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs) found that 65% of students admitted to not buying the text at all due to financial constraints.

But the rise of Open Educational Resources should give students hope. Commonly known as OER, these materials are a low-cost option that are replacing print textbooks at campuses across the country. Here are four reasons why your professors should make the switch:

1. Big publishers won’t be around much longer.

To understand how and why textbooks became so expensive in the first place, we have to look to the traditional publishing companies. Student PIRGs also found the following:

80 percent of the market is controlled by five textbook companies (including Pearson and Wiley)
Individual textbooks can easily cost $200, and sometimes up to $400
30 percent of students have had to resort to financial aid to buy textbooks.

For a long time, textbook publishers have had a monopoly on the market. These publishers have employed tactics such as releasing new editions each year (which renders older versions useless on the used book market), and bundling textbooks with access codes, driving up the prices even more.

But change is in the air.

In 2017, following a slump in its education operation, Pearson reported a pre-tax loss of £2.6bn, the biggest in its history, prompted by the collapse of Pearson’s U.S. higher education business, which is struggling with a decline in textbook sales and the transition to digital learning. And, according to a 2014 Wall Street Journal article, sales of new printed textbooks made up 38% of McGraw-Hill Education’s higher-ed revenue in 2013, down from 71% in 2010.

A new focus on creating and distributing open, high-quality, digital content in higher education is starting to disrupt these conglomerates. While these companies have since recognized the need for a new business model and are starting to offer more digitally-oriented solutions, it might be too late.

2. OER is a cheaper and effective alternative

How can textbooks be more affordable? The answer is through the creation and implementation of free textbooks, known in the industry as open educational resources (OER). According to the Student PIRGs, expanded use of OER has the potential to save students more than a billion dollars annually.

Many colleges and universities are seeing incredible results in terms of cost-savings for students. California State University’s group of colleges are leading the way here. In 2010, they launched the Affordable Learning Solutions Program. The initiative advocates for the reduction of course materials by helping faculty identify and offer quality free or low-cost course materials that can replace traditional textbooks. They estimate they save students $35 million annually on textbooks across its network of campuses.

Professors at Santa Fe College, in Gainsville, Fla., began using OER materials in their courses in 2016. Since tracking began, they’ve managed to save their students over $1 million in textbook costs. In British Columbia, Canada, the Open Textbook Project has saved students more than $1 million across the whole province since its 2012 launch.

In September 2017, the U.S. government introduced a bill called The Affordable College Textbook Act. Its objective was to expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students. The bill didn’t pass, but it might already be leading to change on a smaller scale. Case in point: The FY18 omnibus appropriations bill, which earmarks $5 million for an open textbook program, was officially passed in March.

3. Students actually use and engage with OER

A Campus Technology survey found that 63 percent of students search for content online to supplement their course overcome the lack of a textbook. And three out of four college and university students think technology has had a positive impact on their academic success. With over half the student population bringing at least two Internet-connected devices with them to campus, it makes sense to use the devices students already own and are familiar with. And professors can do this by moving to digital, OER content.

4. It’s simple to get started with OER

When it comes to who gets to create a textbooks, publishers are no longer the sole decision makers. If you have an Internet connection, you can create content. A slew of upstarts have started offering the software and technology necessary to easily make digital learning materials. OpenStax offers peer-reviewed, Creative Commons-licensed resources. In 2017 Fast Company reported OpenStax content was in use at 27% of colleges and universities across the country. Lumen Learning’s chief academic officer David Wiley estimates that open resources are used in over 10% of high-enrolment introductory and core classes at colleges across the U.S.. Other players allowing educators to create and share open resources at scale include Pressbooks and Top Hat.

Conclusion

Now, more than ever, options exist to create affordable textbooks for university students. There are too many compelling arguments for professors to turn their backs on the main university publishers and use cheaper textbooks. Talk to your prof today about adopting open textbooks.