The Future of Textbooks

By Cody Bolce

Jun Maharjan shops for textbooks in the Ohlone College bookstore.

Michael Watson is a first-year student at Ohlone College. This is his third year out of high school, but until now he had chosen to enter the work force as a clerk at Postal Annex. He cited the cost of textbooks as one of the main factors in his decision. “When I first got out of high school, I looked into attending community college,” he said. “The tuition wasn’t too bad, but when I started looking at the price of books I was shocked.”

Watson is hardly alone. Studies show that the cost of textbooks is one of the main deterrents to a college education. The 21st century will require an educated and skilled work force to power the economy. This will put more pressure on America’s educational system, particularly community colleges. Higher education must become more accessible and that cannot happen without a change in the way we think about textbooks.

At Evergreen Valley Community College in San Jose, they are doing just that. A bold experiment is under way to answer one simple question. “If we remove the cost of textbooks and fees, what will happen?” asks Octavio Cruz Jr., Dean of Enrollment Services.

The program called San Jose Promise eliminates the cost of community college for students who can’t afford it on their own. Evergreen currently has a pilot group of about 20 students, with a larger group at Evergreen’s sister school, San Jose City College.  The program is the result of a study that showed the cost of 

textbooks and fees were the strongest deterrents from attending community college.

Unfortunately, most students are not fortunate enough to participate in a program like San Jose Promise. The reality is that the cost of textbooks affects every student in America, ranging from a minor annoyance to a major obstacle.

Indeed, according to Cruz the price of books can far exceed the price of tuition. “For a student paying $26 per unit, the total cost of books is often double what they pay in fees.”

The cause of this is complex.According to Irma Archuleta, vice president of Student Affairs at EvergreenValley, one reason for this is that book companies often issue new editions, even when little has changed. The result is that used books are not available and students are forced to buy new ones.Then, once they’re done with the book, they can’t sell it back because a new edition has come out.

“It’s not that you as an instructor are looking for a new edition,” said Archuleta. “It’s the book companies that want a new edition.”

The changes are often simply rearranging chapters or inserting filler into the beginning to change the page numbering. Such is the practice of a 21st century business, with a 20th century model.

This is not the only practice to which book companies resort to sustain profit margins.They typically give bookstores a rating through a grading system based on previous sales of new books.

The more new books a bookstore can sell, the higher the rating and vice versa.The highest-rated stores receive higher percentage of used books. This means that the poorer students who most need access to used books are least likely to get them.

The effects of this can be devastating. Students often take extreme measures to save money on textbooks. “They
share textbooks with their friends, they make copies and return them, and sometimes they delay purchasing the books,” said Archuleta. “But if they wait one, two, three weeks, by then it’s too late.They never catch up.”

The good news for students is that the current textbook model is begging to dissolve. In response to the ever increasing costs, students are exploring new ways to get their textbooks.

Ohlone acting major TaylorBall is one of countless students beginning to rent their books. He heard about Chegg from a family member; he says his savings were significant.

“I rented three books for about $85,” said Ball. “One of the books alone would have cost $150.” Because of his savings, he said he plans to continue renting from Chegg. “Yeah, I’ll continue to rent,” he said. “It makes sense unless you really feel like you need to keep the book.”

The renting experience can be slightly different depending on the company, but most rental companies follow a similar model. Students can search the website for books by author or ISBN. Once they find the book they are looking for, students can choose the duration of the rental period, usually ranging from 60 days to a semester. The book is then shipped. The recipient keeps the box the book was sent in and uses it to return the book(s) at the end of the rental period.

Savings vary depending on the book and the subject. While some books can be rented for a fraction of the cost, others are nearly as expensive to rent as to buy. Some are not available at all.

In addition to rentals, some companies are moving toward a digital platform, which is gaining momentum with students and instructors. The advantages are obvious: replace a stack of books with an iPad or laptop that is updatable and interactive.

Some in the industry are already preparing for this transition.There are now iPad applications such as Inkling that allow students to download textbooks on their tablets. In addition, this summer Kno Inc., a Silicon-Valley based tech company, announced plans to introduce a tablet specifically for students.The tablet, which shares the name of its developer, is expected to hit the market later this fall, with a price tag comparable to an iPad.

While electronic or ebooks do have their advantages, they are not necessarily significantly cheaper or more accessible.

“One of the problems with ebooks,” explains Cruz, “is that many low-income students do not have a bank account, let alone credit or debit cards required to purchase those materials electronically.”

Going even a step further, many in the educational community advocate open source textbooks. According to Liza Loop, an educational consultant at the Community College Consortium for Open Education Resources (CCCOER), there are three characteristics of an open source textbook: It is digitally available, has a copyright status flexible enough for instructors to share and manipulate the text, and is available at little or no cost. Loop believes that OER (open educational resources), are the future of textbooks.

“It’s about empowering the teacher to get what they want out of the textbook,” said Loop. “With open source textbooks, instructors can mix and match to put together a text that is best suited for their students and their course.”

Loop is not the only one who views technology as a key to alleviating the suffocating costs of textbooks. Scott Lay, president of the Community College League of California, also believes we are moving beyond textbooks.

“The future of textbooks,” he said, “is not textbooks.”

So just when is the future? Loop believes the technology is there waiting to be utilized. “It’s already here, we’re just not seeing it,” said Loop. “The only obstacle is the mind-set of our society.”

While we wait for a comprehensive solution to this problem, Vice President Archuleta believes that there are some simple ways to help students struggling with the price of books. For example, Evergreen Valley has begun distributing a list of books available digitally and through rental, complete with price comparisons. They also have
established an on-campus lending library, which collects textbooks through donations, then lends them back to students.

“The best thing we can do in the short term as instructors and administrators to help students, is to simply be sensitive to their needs,” said Archuleta. “To be willing to work with students who purchase older editions and to be sure that we order books only if they are an essential part of the course.”

For all students, that would be much appreciated.
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© Copyright 2010 Midnight Magazine, a production of the Ohlone College journalism department.