TAP is committed to making sure that students are not only going to get fair pricing on textbooks, but we also want to keep them informed. Here you will find a collection of up-to-date articles pertaining to textbook affordability.
Textbook Affordability in the News (Archive)
Six senators urge Justice Dept to take tough look at ‘problematic’ textbook merger
April 27, 2020 – Six Democratic senators have urged the U.S. Justice Department to take a hard look at what they called a “problematic” merger of the No. 2 and No. 3 largest textbook companies, Cengage and McGraw-Hill.
Shouldering the heavy burden of textbooks
April 27, 2020 – As textbook costs have continued to rise, many students at William & Mary have devised ways to manage the burden of these costs. Some are investing an extensive amount of time into finding cheaper substitutes for her required textbooks.
UI OpenHawks grants help faculty create open resource textbooks tailor-fit for their courses
April 14, 2020 – After its first year of awarding grants, University of Iowa Libraries are in their second year of the OpenHawks grants. These awards are for faculty members to create online resources for students at no cost.
The Case For Using Open Textbooks In HE Is Growing
April 8, 2020 – In South Africa, textbook costs have proven to be a barrier to accessing or completing tertiary education, despite the government’s provision of subsidies and financial aid. In other countries, there is growing momentum to allocate funds to the production of open textbooks, which present a more sustainable and affordable solution.
Efforts underway to reduce cost of textbooks for college students
March 15, 2020 – Though college can be expensive for many students, initiatives are in place to lessen the cost of textbooks to students, as well as to provide different options for them. Marshall University’s Student Government Association is one organization working to help students afford their books.
Why Are Textbooks So Expensive?
March 4, 2020 – Part of an ongoing series for Teen Vogue, Schooled is by Zach Schermele, a freshman at Columbia University, that explores the nuances of the American education system. In this edition the history of textbook costs is explored alongside the resources available to students now, drawing on student and faculty interviews.
Oregon Tech faculty turn to open source materials to save students more than $400,000 in textbook costs
March 4, 2020 – Faculty at Oregon Institute of Technology, “Oregon Tech,” have been making focused efforts over the last two years to reduce some of the costs associated with textbook materials. Through working with the Open Educational Resources (OER) program, it has saved Oregon Tech students more than $400,000 in textbook costs.
Report: Open Educational Resources Save Students Money at a Manageable Cost to Colleges
February 25, 2020 – Free digital learning materials, or Open Educational Resources (OER), have been celebrated as a way to reduce student costs and even encourage them to take more credits. But how well do they work? According to a new study, conducted by SRI Education and rpk GROUP, these online resources do save students money and at a manageable cost to colleges.
Messy Merger Forecast for ‘McCengage’
February 19, 2020 – When publishers Cengage and McGraw-Hill Education announced merger plans last May, they hoped to have the process wrapped up by the end of this March. As that date fast approaches, it seems increasingly unlikely the companies will achieve their goal.
Mitchell Technical Institute Selects Akademos to Manage New Online Bookstore
February 19, 2020 – Mitchell Technical Institute will begin using the course materials management platform, Akademos, giving students access to low-cost print and digital textbooks. When the online bookstore is launched, MTI students will gain access to a more personalized, efficient, and cost-effective course materials solution with 24x7x365 accessibility.
High textbook prices prompt FAMU students to buy books elsewhere
February 6, 2020 – Online retailers such as Amazon and Chegg provide students with more flexible pricing and medium options. These retailers often provide electronic versions of books that are not only cheaper but give students the same material without the physical bulk of traditional textbooks. Despite electronic textbooks being offered in the FAMU Bookstore, online retailers often offer cheaper prices for these books.
Students bypass rising textbook prices
February 6, 2020 – Despite the rise in price, college students are spending less on course materials, according to a 2019 study by the National Association of College Stores. In the study, researchers contribute the decrease to better student awareness of cost-efficiency programs and easier access to alternative retailers. This article follows the publishing industry’s history, and interviews students and faculty at Northern Kentucky University to further find out how their students are shopping now, as opposed to before.
OER in Oregon Shrinks Cost of Course Materials by Three-Quarters
February 5, 2020 – A recently released study showed that an investment by the state of Oregon in promoting textbook affordability has led to a dramatic drop in the cost of course materials for transfer degrees. The research, undertaken by Open Oregon, which tracks the use of open educational resources in the state, reported that the 112,462 students in the 10 highest-enrollment classes saved an estimated $1.1 million in 2019 compared to 2017, due to greater use of no-cost and low-cost class content.
‘It’s just an issue of academic success’: Senate joins campaign to cut textbook costs
February 3, 2020 – Washington University Student Union Senate passed a resolution in support of Open Educational Resources — various online resources offering free textbooks to college students— in an attempt to cut down on what many students see as excessive and increasing textbook costs Jan. 28. The resolution passed by SU Senate Jan. 28 pushes Washington University to offer incentives for faculty to transition to Open Educational Resources. Senate has partnered with University libraries on the effort.
Library campaign shares students’ stories about course material affordability
January 27, 2020 – Gelman Library staff launched a “Postcard Campaign” at the start of this semester to offer students the chance to create cards detailing their struggles with affording textbooks and other course items by showing other items they could have purchased, like food, with the money spent on course materials. Gelman officials said the postcards will raise awareness about textbook affordability and open educational resources, which are free to access and use.
A Legal Challenge for Inclusive Access
January 27, 2020 – In a class-action lawsuit, four companies representing independent bookstores accused publishers including Pearson, Cengage, McGraw-Hill Education and bookstore chains Barnes and Noble Education and Follett of trying to push them out of business. In court documents, the independent bookstores describe inclusive access programs as a “conspiracy” whose “end goal and result is eliminating competitors and raising prices.”
Final semester on-campus undergrads have to purchase textbooks
January 15, 2020 – Beginning in fall 2020, all Undergraduate students at University of the Cumberlands main campus will have the option to participate in a free textbook loan program. Students who opt into the program will receive books free of charge as long as those books are returned in good condition at the end of the semester. The loan program will include books for all fields of study. Students have the option to purchase any books they would like to keep.
Free Textbooks for Law Students
January 3, 2020 – Legal scholars are increasingly adopting and creating free textbooks in an attempt to increase affordability for students. But are these textbooks considered open educational resources?
Congress to Renew Open Textbook Pilot Grant Program with $7 Million Appropriation
December 17, 2019 – A bipartisan budget agreement reached in the U.S. Congress will renew and strengthen the federal Open Textbook Pilot Grant Program with $7 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2020—a $2 million increase over previous years. Supported by advocates of higher education affordability, the renewal of this program for a third year is a resounding endorsement of the positive benefits that open textbooks can achieve for students.
Four to Receive Funding to Improve Course Materials, Lower Student Textbook Costs
December 9, 2019 – Four University of Arkansas faculty members were selected to receive funding to help lower the cost of textbooks for students. Their participation in the Open Educational Resources course-conversion program, a partnership between by the University Libraries and Global Campus, also allows them the opportunity to use innovative techniques in their teaching and focus on the specific learning needs of Arkansas students.
Keeping college affordable at SLCC
December 5, 2019 – Salt Lake Community College president, Dr. Deneece G. Huftalin talks college affordability, as well as their textbook affordability initiatives using Open SLCC, which replaces textbooks in the classroom with free, high-quality online educational resources. Open SLCC has been available since 2014, and since that time they say that 133,000 of students have saved more than $11 million in textbook costs.
Bethel Launches Initiative to Eliminate Textbook Costs
November 22, 2019 – For students in participating adult undergraduate programs, the Zero Cost Course Resources Initiative eliminates the need to buy textbooks by replacing them with high-quality Open Educational Resources.
Polis Unveils Plan To Make College More Affordable For Coloradans
November 12, 2019 – Gov. Jared Polis announced a three-phase plan to make college more affordable for Coloradans. He laid out his strategy on Tuesday at the Community College of Denver.
Students save big at Kwantlen with ‘no textbook cost’ arts degree
October 26, 2019 – Kwantlen Polytechnic University has launched a full degree bachelor’s of arts degree in general studies in which students pay nothing for textbooks, the first of its kind in North America, according to the school.
For This Campus, Choosing Textbooks Has Gotten a Lot More Complicated
October 13, 2019 – Regina Seanez, a sophomore at Austin Community College, uses both traditional textbooks and e-textbooks as part of her coursework. She has rented physical textbooks from the campus bookstore and, more cheaply, from Amazon or Barnes & Noble, but she buys new ones rarely.
A Q&A with James Glapa-Grossklag on How Expensive Textbooks and OER Impact Students
October 10, 2019 – James Glapa-Grossklag is Dean of Educational Technology, Learning Resources, and Distance Learning at College of the Canyons. He previously served as President of the Community College Consortium for OER (CCCOER), President of the Directors of Educational Technology in California Higher Education, Board President of the Open Education Consortium. He is currently Technical Assistance Provider for the California Community College Zero Textbook Cost Degree Program. He took some time to share his perspective on the different impacts that expensive textbooks and no-cost open educational resources have on students..
Textbook Spending Continues Slow Decline
July 25, 2019 – NACS survey finds the amount students spend on course materials each year has decreased, possibly indicating students are increasingly utilizing open-source material and other educational resources.
LJ Textbook Affordability Survey: Costs Still a Concern, OER an Opportunity
May 16, 2019 – Library Journal ’s 2019 Textbook Affordability Survey, sponsored by Taylor & Francis Group, asked academic librarians who acquire digital and print materials for their libraries about textbook cost challenges, faculty collaborations, trends, and possible solutions.
SPARC is Working to Prevent a Duopoly over College Textbooks
August 14, 2019 – Cengage and McGraw-Hill Education announced plans to merge. Being that they are two of the largest textbook companies (out of three), the merger would effectively turn the college textbook market into a duopoly, leaving only a single rival, Pearson. This merger could have negative consequences for competition and student consumers in an industry that has already driven major price increases that have made higher education harder to afford.