Did shelling out for textbooks leave you spring broke? March 5-9 is Spring Break here at Furman. It is also Open Education Week, a chance to advocate for affordable learning options that save students money, increase pedagogical freedom, and facilitate student success.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that from January 2006 to July 2016, consumer prices for college textbooks increased 88 percent, outpacing college tuition and fees as well as housing costs. While textbooks are not the largest educational cost to students, they are a significant out-of-pocket cost. Furman students are estimated to spend $1,270 on books per year. In some cases, a single required textbook may cost over $400 to purchase new from the bookstore. That’s an easy way to make Spring Break feel more like Spring Broke.
The libraries can help students, faculty, and administrators make learning more affordable in a variety of ways. We can assist with:
- Adopting Open Educational Resources (OER) in place of traditional texts
- Utilizing library materials that have been licensed for campus
- Including works made available for free online
Student survey results suggest that the cost of textbooks is negatively impacting student access to required materials and learning, with students choosing not to purchase a required textbook, and subsequently either earning a poor grade or even failing a course due to costs. Other studies have found that student learning with the use of Affordable Learning options is comparable to that using traditional textbooks, meaning that the negative impacts of cost can be removed while still facilitating the same learning at a much lower price.
So what can you do? Get involved!
- Learn about Open Educational Resources at libguides.furman.edu/oer
- Explore eBooks, articles, and more materials available for everyone on campus at library.furman.edu
- Collaborate with a librarian to discover more options by emailing us at scholarexchange@furman.edu