After spending a whopping $800 on textbooks during
her second semester at the University of Colorado, Katie Muller decided
something had to change.
Since February, Muller, now a sophomore,
has been using her marketing skills and internship with the Colorado
Public Interest Research Group -- or CoPirg -- to stir campus-wide
interest in a new trend that could save students thousands of dollars.
"I
always spend so much on books and I usually pay a lot for my marketing
books, which are the most expensive," Muller said. "My interested began
for my own benefit but I'll hopefully help other students if we can get
the word out."
Open textbooks, an idea inspired by open source
software, are popping up on the Web and providing readers with a free,
digital version of the textbook, which could have cost more than $100 at
the bookstore.
Openly licensed textbooks are offered online by a
willing author and are free to both students and the public. While
there are only a few open textbooks currently available, the success of
recent textbook rental options and online sales suggest students will
try almost anything to save a few bucks.
Some students are so
determined to cut the expense, which various sources estimate between
$400 and $800 per semester, that they spend hours researching the
cheapest options before deciding if and where to purchase.
CU
senior Alexander Kent said he's spent the last four years studying
online options and rental programs to ensure he was getting the best
price.
"I haven't bought a new textbook in, well, it's been a
long time," Kent said. "I mostly trade with other students or use
similar material I find online to get what I need instead of buying
them."
CU senior Hannah Enenbach said lots of students find ways
around buying the books and use other resources to get their work done.
"I
just use the copy at the library for most classes," Enenbach said.
Students
said teachers at CU are already looking for ways to save students from
buying outrageously priced books, like providing copies to the library
for checkout or combining several free online articles to use as study
materials instead of textbooks.
Six professors at CU-Boulder have
already signed a "statement of intent" online which vows that they will
strongly consider using an open textbook if a relevant one is available
for their course.
Communication professor John Jackson was one
of the firsts to sign the intent and said he sees no reason why students
should pay for expensive textbooks when there are cheaper alternatives.
"I think that textbook publishing is just out of control in
terms of how much students are charged and what they're paying for,"
Jackson said.
Jackson said he doesn't feel that using materials
other than an $85 textbook compromises the quality of his classes, a
good sign for his nearly 1,500 students per year.
"I don't think
anyone in our department teaches a textbook straight through," Jackson
said. "The text is not heart of the class. The textbook is like a spice
to the class, not the main ingredient."
Though the university
bookstore has adopted several modern techniques for providing material
-- including a textbook rental program -- there are a few
characteristics of the open textbook trend they aren't in a hurry to
inherit, said director Pamela Mills.
Eye strains, the lack of
interactivity and getting authors to give up royalties are just a few of
the concerns that would have to be worked out before implementing a
similar program, Mills said. But if it is helpful to student success,
she said the bookstore is willing to give anything a shot.
"We're
not ruling anything out," Mills said. "Even we don't know what new
options we could have next year."
