With the first week of classes coming to an end, it”s time for me to buy textbooks.
Unlike some of my friends, who show up to class having all of the required materials, I choose to wait.
Although the professors at the University of Idaho may claim certain textbooks are required, I like to decide for myself if I think the book is worth buying or if there are alternatives that would work just as well.
Between sharing books with friends, using the library and finding online resources, I can sometimes get away without buying the required textbook for a course. It makes a lot of sense, especially if the syllabus makes it clear the curriculum will only cover a few of the chapters.
When talking about a book that will set me back more than $100, the decision is a simple one for me. But it”s a decision I”m a little scared and ashamed to admit to my professors.
Max Cowan
I know I”m not alone. Research has shown that 65 percent of students have decided against buying a textbook because it was outside their budget. Since 1977, textbook prices have risen at three times the rate of inflation.
With prices becoming prohibitive, and so many students making the choice to forgo some of the books altogether, we need a real conversation about how to make textbooks affordable. This is where open-source textbooks enter the discussion.
Open-source textbooks are available to students and instructors for free, because they aren”t under copyright as with ordinary textbooks. Instead the publisher is removed from the equation, allowing knowledge to pass directly from the professor and author to the student, saving hundreds of dollars in the process.
Professors are already encouraged to engage in scholarly work, and producing an open-source textbook should be no different. Giving their knowledge and expertise to ensure that academic understanding is accessible to all is invaluable. Furthermore, when this work is credited as scholarly activity, it falls within the scope of their job description.
Some institutions have already begun to build their offerings of open resources.
Rice University started an initiative called OpenStax where professors work together to create peer-reviewed texts with the goal of reducing the cost of college for all students. With 18 texts covering many core courses such as biology, statistics and sociology, you would be hard pressed not to find at least one course in your time at the university that could have used these free textbooks.
After looking through the books produced by OpenStax, I was amazed that they were of comparable, if not better, quality than many books published by large companies.
The most beautiful part of open-source textbooks is that they are meant to be shared. Your professors can require these free texts without having to write their own book.
The Associated Students of the University of Idaho (ASUI) have already begun working on building knowledge of these resources. Working with the President, Provost and many other faculty across our campus, we want to build an initiative to convert some of our most basic courses to free textbooks.
The Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges converted 81 high-enrollment classes to open-source textbooks. In just four years, they saved students $5.5 million.
We know that UI is capable of taking the same kind of bold action to address the rising cost of education. Working together as students, we can share our stories.
Don”t be afraid to say that more than $1,000 a year is too much to spend on textbooks. Encourage your professors to consider these alternatives to expensive textbooks, and with the dedicated work of ASUI, we will be able to ensure that all students are able to afford the education we deserve.
Max Cowan is the president of ASUI. He can be reached at [email protected].