As we all know, going to college is an expensive proposition. Ever-rising tuition, room and board, nights out and, of course, a tear-jerking trip to the bookstore at the start off each quarter. It is not uncommon for a textbook to cost more than a hundred dollars. A full-time student enrolls in about four classes a quarter, three quarters a year and optimistically four years between the start and end of their college career. After the math, that works out to around $4,800. After hocking up the cash, there are assigned readings from half the book at best. The student will likely read less than half of those and sell the book back. Buybacks frequently yield a measly sum, and I often keep my books finding I could get more money by selling them as a DuraFlame alternative.
I have heard numerous theories about the cause of these outrageous costs. The additional price has been blamed on color printing, excessive revisions, the resale of used textbooks and the most popular theory among students is greedy textbook executives. I'm not sure which of these is actually the culprit, and I suspect that there are a number of forces at work. Ultimately, I think the problem is that in today's high-tech world textbooks are simply outdated mediums.
A recent study by the nonprofit EDUCASE Center for Applied Research found that 98.4 percent of college students own computers and 73.7 percent of them use laptops. The remote few students who do not own a computer undoubtedly use them frequently for papers and research. We have used computers to read the news, check e-mail and perform scholarly research. Not a class goes by that I don't see at least one or two students using their laptops to take notes or browse the Web. We are the WEB 2.0 generation, and we are used to being able to retrieve just about anything from the Internet.
I think the near total penetration of computing and the Internet with modern college students is the perfect platform to update the outdated textbook-printing regime. If increasing production cost is the driving force of increasing prices, than e-textbooks are the perfect way to practically eliminate production and distribution costs. Some textbook publishers have already started participating in e-book programs like ichapters.com. I actually opted to buy the electronic version of an economics book that I needed for a class, saving around $30. Some of my professors have even chosen to teach from books the university has already purchased student access to, like those at Safari Books Online.
Electronic textbooks have the potential to serve a functional advantage as well. Electronic books would allow students to purchase only the information they actually need. By only selling one chapter at a time, students could save money and professors could further tailor their curriculum by including content from multiple authors or publishers.
Unfortunately, the availability of these books is still extremely limited. There are very few publishers and authors who participate in these programs, and the likelihood that they match up with the books assigned by your professor is pretty slim. This is where you, as a student, can take action. When possible, buy your books from online publishers. Encourage your professors to look at the materials that are online or have them consider publishing their work through participating distributors.-
17 Archives
Letter to the Editor
