Between 2002 and 2013 the price for textbooks have risen 82%, which is 3 times the rate of inflation according to a recent study found by the U.S Government Accountability Office. (6) Affordability of post tuition expenses, which include textbooks, food, living space, and class materials, may present a challenge to students who struggle pulling extra money out to buy the needed material for classrooms. On average students will be spending 1,200 dollars a year on textbooks. For a college student, that could mean meals for the whole school year, or the class they need for more credits. The price of textbooks is skyrocketing which leaves a lot of students trying to find alternatives on spending a great deal on books. Although all colleges give …show more content…
Open textbooks are a great option that may expand the market and bring more competition to a market that has very high barriers of entry. The open textbook will allow students to access the course textbook online for free with an option to purchase the hard copy at a reasonable price. According to a study done by the Student PIRGs, 82% of students felt they would do significantly better in a course if the textbook was available free online and buying a hard copy was optional. (Fixing the Broken Textbook Market 12) Some professors across the nation have already adopted this alternative for their courses. Irene Duranczyk, a professor at the University of Michigan offers an open textbook for her statistics course. An interview between Irene and editor from USA TODAY Herb Weisbaum, Irene stated, “the online material is high quality and can be customized to fit my teaching style.” ("Cost of College Textbooks out of Control, Group Says.") Technology is advancing and our libraries are becoming more digital and convenient and so should our classes. High textbook prices will continue to be a problem for students so if colleges implemented open textbooks in all courses it would be great for the textbook market. It will create competition, forcing publishers to lower their prices. Open textbooks will also create a better learning experience for students and give them more money in their
In a recent study that was conducted the rate of individuals attending college has increased. This increase in students comes at a time when the country has been described as being in a recession. With job losses, companies closing and lack of job availability many people are returning to school. This return to the classroom comes at a cost. The rate of college tuition has risen in the last few years. In my home state of Kentucky, it appears both of the major Universities have asked to raise tuition every other year. When college cost rise so does the tools needed to attend college. One of the most expensive tools is books. Last year I enrolled my son in college when calculating the books for his classes, we soon learned that the cost of his books and the cost of my books were almost on month’s salary. My family soon learned if we were going to be able to not only attend college but have the necessary tools needed, we would have to consider alternatives to buying books. I did some research and soon discovered that technology had again come to the rescue. I found a company called Chegg that is an online book rental company. This company provides students with an alternative to buying books by renting them for a portion of the price. According to their article in CrunchBase named “Chegg edit” the company began at Iowa University in 2005 as a “hyper-local” classified directory. It was not until 2007 that the company introduced their textbook rental service. When looking at the company from an Information Systems standpoint I would say it ranks up there with the creative ideas of the century. You go online type in your order and it is processed within a matter of days. During the next portion of this paper we will loo...
Impact of Digitizing Books? Ed. Louise I. Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2013. At Issue. Rpt. from "In the 21st-Century University, Let's Ban (Paper) Books." Chronicle of Higher Education 13 Nov. 2011. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
...university needs to stop requiring packaged materials and should move away from textbooks that require one-time access codes. Also, they can reuse textbooks for several semesters because the core information remains the same from edition to edition, eliminating the need to constantly replace the stock with every new edition. Students would be held responsible for the condition of their assigned book, and will also be given the option of keeping it at the end of the semester. In either case, the school has options in place to recover the cost of the textbook should a student destroy or decide to keep a specific book. By implementing such a program, students at the University of Delaware will be less inclined to resort to illegal measures to save money, and they will certainly be less likely to incur even more debt as the cost of college tuition continues to rise.
Through connection and communication, work ethic has improved in schools especially when a student’s score means a lot to school funding. The old ways of using textbooks can cause back pain when carrying it around everywhere and kill trees when making them. With new editions of a textbook being published it creates more worry for schools since it can cost a fortune to buy each book for classrooms to stay updated to the newest information.
The cost of college text books has escalated dramatically in the past three and a half decades, increasing more than 800%, and students are feeling the financial pinch. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group reported 70% of surveyed students at more than a dozen colleges did not purchase required text books because they couldn't afford the high price, which in some cases is as much as 75% of the average tuition rate. Many students are searching for less expensive options such as buying popular textbooks from discount retailers like TextbookRush online. This article includes a brief description of the 10 top selling textbooks and at least one career path for students taking a course using the text.
So, why has it become so normal for a college student to take out one or more loans? One word comes to mind when attempting to answer this question – tuition – but one can fail to consider a smaller culprit – textbooks. The costs of textbooks have increased by eighty-two
B&N has ventured into this segment in 2011, partnering with many universities to offer textbooks at discounted rates (30-50% off).
According to VIDETTE EDITORIAL BOARD, “Many schools, however, cannot say they are focusing on this issue. Students are forced to spend an average of $1,000 a year on textbooks — money that could be used to pay tuition, room and board and other bills. If schools want to make their students feel like they are important and appreciated, they need to take a hard stance on making affordable textbooks a reality.” This is a lot to pay for an individual who is working a minimum wage job. Everyone has to start at something, so working and getting paid minimum wage will not work significantly as they thought.
On the other hand, companies that print textbooks are saying that sites like Amazon, eBay and sites that have illegal download have cut into their profit. To make up for the loss of profit these companies are increasing their prices to make up the difference. Using E-book is not always a good idea since the price of the books will unlimitedly increase over time. Colleges cannot respond to their behaviors but to assign books regularly. According to the National Association of College Stores 33 percent of the book costs goes towards the production of the expensive textbook while there is only about another 12 percent for the author credits. That means the other 55 cents of each dollar go to the companies’ wallet. They know that college students have no choice but to get the textbook their college professor tells them to.
Another way professors can help students avoid buying new textbooks is to be aware of a textbook’s newest editions and what the actual changes are (Gore, 2005). By choosing not to buy new books every semester that have little to no changes, professors are not only defying the monopoly on textbooks, they are also helping students save money when it comes to buying textbooks.
B. Jessie Lee Bennett once said, “Books are the compasses and telescopes and sextants and charts which other men have prepared to help us navigate the dangerous seas of human life.” This is the reason we should have easier access to the books that we need that help us learn new subjects. You see we need them to learn and the bookstores know this. The textbook policy at schools across our nation is very unfair. I urge students to stand up for themselves and make a change. Students must come together to change the problem with high textbook prices.
In conclusion, America provides many ways to help reduce the cost of college textbooks but society is still not satisfied with the outcome. The Open Textbook, Affordable Textbook Act, and book store rentals are wonderful programs, but has its disadvantages that hopefully would be resolved in the 2016 presidential elections. The statistics show that many students across the nation benefit from learning with quality of teaching, the amount of accessibility it provides without having to worry about paying off student loans. School administrations should consider about transferring to an act that would benefit both the school and the students, but also provide more equality to the publishers and students.
Textbooks are a must have in every university. On top of tuition, dining, and housing fees, the high cost of textbooks can be a huge burden on students. Often times, students cannot afford to buy books for their classes on time due to the prices of textbooks. According to NBC's review of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, textbook prices have risen over three times the rate of inflation from January 1977 to June 2015, a 1,041 percent increase (Popken). I don’t think the money is worth because students are at college to grab knowledge not books.
“Digital Textbooks May Save Schools $250 Per Student Per Year.” Electronista. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 May 2014.
“A text-book is any manual of instruction, a book containing a presentation of the principles of the subject used as a basis of instruction.” (Webster 's Dictionary). With the internet as a tool, there is a plethora of accessible information. However, most classrooms are still teaching children with textbooks. These textbooks are used in the classroom, but not accessible at home where the child needs them. Children utilize textbooks as an accessible go-to guide and reference to assist in reinforcing the teachings done in the classroom. Textbooks are needed to prepare the student and revisit the subject matter discussed in class. Even the most attentive child will miss something during a lecture, so being able to self-teach through the use of a textbook is essential. If children are not given access to their textbooks to use as a reference, how will they know how to utilize reference materials once they approach higher education? Textbooks are considered “An easy-to-use “second voice” in the course, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in a random-access format that allows students to move at their own pace, regardless of their education backgrounds” (Lichtenberg). They are also “tangible proof that students have been presented with information essential for learning the curriculum in question”