Report Highlights. The cost of college textbooks ballooned for years, but increased use of ebooks has reduced the cost to the consumer; an ebook can be 50% less expensive than its hard copy counterpart.
The average cost of college books and supplies declined in the last decade, in part due to an increased rate of textbook rentals and use of digital course materials.
Most professors believe the cost of course materials is a burden to their students.
Increased online and distance learning necessitates a wider use of e-texts, which students may purchase for sale, subscription, or rent.
One response to rising prices is the adoption of course materials that are part of a shared resource system. These systems are most beneficial to students and faculty; meanwhile, publishers and institutions miss out on profits.
About one-in-five students report that the cost of books and materials directly influences their decision on what classes to take, and 63% of students say they’ve skipped buying a textbook altogether.
New textbooks are expensive whether they are hard copy or digital. While digital or ebooks offer convenience, many make use of access codes, which ensure every student pays full price. An access code gives a student temporary use of a learning management system (LMS) with the course materials, complete assignments, and access to other critical resources necessary to complete their online class.
Schools with “inclusive access” agreements make these course materials mandatory. In other words, where students could once share textbooks or buy them used, purchasing the new text is now compulsory.
Called a “conspiracy” in a class action antitrust lawsuit filed against major textbook publishers, the inclusive access model builds the cost of online course materials into tuition fees. Because this model guarantees a number of textbooks purchased, the publisher can offer a quantity discount; this deal benefits both the publisher and the academic institutions. Students enrolling in these classes, however, have no way to opt out of paying for the textbook; they also cannot recoup a percentage of the cost of the book by reselling it after they’ve completed the class.[1]
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