The average college student will spend upwards of $900 this year on textbooks. For a community college student, this $900 may equal half of their tuition. For a public four year institution student, this may equal 20% of their tuition. With no end in sight for the continual rise of textbook prices, the U.S. PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) has taken a strong stand to find cheaper alternatives for struggling college students.
Driven by the fact that the high cost of textbooks may deter a student from attending college, the PIRG is dedicated to using technology to curb the rising cost of print textbooks. While alternatives such as e-textbooks, e-chapters, and textbook rentals have offered some relief to students, members of the PIRG feel that open-source textbooks may be the next big thing. In fact, in a recent study, the PIRG concluded that open source textbooks could save a student as much as 80%. Although this statistic does offer some fragment of hope for cheaper textbook costs, the implementation of open source textbooks has been a slow process.
You may be wondering what exactly an open source textbook concept is. Like traditional print textbooks, an open source textbook is written, edited, and peer reviewed by leading experts. However, unlike traditional textbooks, an open source textbook is published online under an open license which allows free access. A professor chooses to use an open source textbook for his/her class, provides the students with the appropriate URL, and students have free, online access to the textbook. Flat World Knowledge, the current leader in open source textbooks, also allows professors to edit and adapt the digital textbook to fit their particular curriculum.
For students who don’t want to read the textbook solely online or wish to print out certain chapters for classroom work, there are several options. A student could order a black and white softcover of the textbook for around $29, while PDF chapters are also available for $1.99. There are also other technological media options available such as media files, audio books, mp3 study guides, mobile flash cards, and online practice quizzes.
With students spending $4.9 billion on textbooks in 2006 and the number dramatically rising since then, the free option of open source textbooks is becoming increasing appealing. In the fall semester of 2010, about 1,300 professors have utilized the Flat World Knowledge system. However, with over 1 million professors world wide, this number represents only a small portion of professors who are determined to fight rising costs. Until more professors take the initiative to finding cheaper alternatives, companies such as Flat World Knowledge cannot increase their textbook catalog list and exposure.
For the students struggling to pay for textbooks each semester, the idea of an open source textbook system is attractive. If nothing else, open source textbooks will definitely increase competition in traditional print textbooks and possibly offer some cost relief. With members of the PIRG urging professors and universities to adopt an open source textbook system, the hope is that within the next few years, yet another alternative to traditional print textbooks will open up and provide significant relief. However, professors willing to use and increase the open source textbook catalog is an important factor in the success of such a system. The PIRG has gotten nearly 2,500 signatures from professors willing to consider an open source textbook system. Although the process may take some time, the PIRG is working hard to help students afford college tuition and textbooks.
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