This is part 3 in this series. Part 1 described the most reliable data on A) how much US college textbook prices are rising and B) how much students actually pay for textbooks, showing that the College Board data is not reliable for either measure. Part 2 provided additional detail on the data source (College […]
digital textbooks
Postscript on Student Textbook Expenditures: More details on data sources
There has been a fair amount of discussion around my post two days ago about what US postsecondary students actually pay for textbooks. The shortest answer is that US college students spend an average of $600 per year on textbooks despite rising retail prices. I would not use College Board as a source on this […]
How Much Do College Students Actually Pay For Textbooks?
With all of the talk about the unreasonably high price of college textbooks, the unfulfilled potential of open educational resources (OER), and student difficulty in paying for course materials, it is surprising how little is understood about student textbook expenses. The following two quotes illustrate the most common problem. Atlantic: “According to a recent College Board […]
The Coming Digital Textbook Wave
Xplana has published some interesting growth projections on digital textbooks in the U.S. higher education market. If you’ve been frustrated by the slow adoption rate, then you’ll like what they have to say. First of all, and unsurprisingly, they see the proliferation of mobile devices (e.g., the iPad and other tablets, netbooks, smart phones, etc.) […]