Research Guides: Explore Textbook Alternatives: Research & Discussion

News and Research on College Textbooks

This page provides links to news on developments related to college textbooks, as well as academic articles that analyze the textbook problem and various solutions.

Most links go to a free or open access version of the article. In a few cases, users not affiliated with Eastern Michigan University will need to use citation info to obtain the article using their library resources.

The Textbook Problem

* Are college textbooks priced fairly?
Two economics professors explore the issue.
Carbaugh, R., & Ghosh, K. (2005). Are college textbooks priced fairly? Challenge,
48(5), 95-112.
2016 Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey
Florida Virtual Campus (October 7, 2016). 2016 Student Textbook and Course Materials Survey. Retrieved from https://dlss.flvc.org/
Attack of the Wallet Killers: Students Cannot Afford Exorbitantly-priced Coursepacks
Attack of the wallet killers: Students cannot afford exorbitantly-priced coursepacks, (February 18, 2005). Harvard Crimson. Retrieved from http://www.thecrimson.com/
Faculty Selling Desk Copies—The Textbook Industry, the Law and the Ethics
Marini Davis, L. & Usry M. (2011). Faculty selling desk copies—the textbook industry, the law and the ethics, Journal of Academic Ethics, 9(1), 19-31.
Link for non-EMU users.
Fixing the Broken Textbook Market
Senack, E. & U.S.PIRG. (2014). Fixing the Broken Textbook Market: How Students Respond to High Textbook Costs and Demand Alternatives, Center for Public Interest Research. Retrieved from http://uspirg.org
Fixing the Broken Textbook Market, Third Edition (2021)
A survey on college textbook affordability during COVID-19
The high cost of college textbooks, explained
Del Valle, G. (March 6, 2019). The high cost of college textbooks, explained, Vox
How Some Colleges are Offering Free Textbooks
Grinberg, E. (April 18, 2014). How some colleges are offering free textbooks, CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com
Pirate Bay Goes To College: Free Textbook Torrent Downloads Soar Amid Rising Costs
Stone, J. (September 19, 2014) Pirate Bay goes to college: Free textbook torrent downloads soar amid rising costs, International Business Times. Retrieved from http://www.ibtimes.com
Study Indicates College Textbook Piracy Is On The Rise, But Fails To Call Out Publishers For Skyrocketing Prices
Cushing, T. (Sep 23 2014). Study Indicates College Textbook Piracy Is On The Rise, But Fails To Call Out Publishers For Skyrocketing Prices (blog post), TechDirt. Retrieved from https://www.techdirt.com/
A Textbook Case of Questionable Ethics
D'Agostino, S. & Kosegarten, J. (September-October 2015) A textbook case of questionable ethics [Faculty Forum]. Academe, p. 47.
Textbook publisher in U.S. insists students cannot keep or resell books
Electronic Frontier Foundation. (May 9, 2014). Textbook publisher in U.S. insists students cannot keep or resell books. Retrieved from http://www.ifex.org/united_states/2014/05/09/first_sale/
Why are College Textbooks so Absurdly Expensive?
Weissmann, J. (3 Jan 2013). Why are college textbooks so absurdly expensive?, The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com
Why You Ought to Think Twice Before Assigning a Pricey Textbook (Commentary)
Ward, D. (September 8, 2015). Why you ought to think twice before assigning a pricey textbook, The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/

Solutions to the Textbook Problem

Battle over college course material is a textbook example of technological change
Douglas-Gabriel, D. (April 14, 2018). Battle over college course material is a textbook example of technological change, Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com
* Open Textbook Publishing
Who is best suited to control textbooks: the faculty or the publishers? There are ways to make sure it is the faculty. Editorial in AAUP's Academe.
Moxley, J. (2013). Open textbook publishing. Academe, 99 (5). http://www.aaup.org/reports-and-publications/academe
* What We Are Doing about the High Cost of Textbooks -The AIM Editorial Board
American Mathematical Society Editorial Board. (2013). What we are doing about the high cost of textbooks, Notices of the AMS 60 (7). Retrieved from http://www.ams.org/
Affordable Textbooks: A Policy Guide
U.S. PIRG Education Fund and the Student PIRGs. (7 April 2014). Affordable Textbooks: A Policy Guide. http://uspirg.org/reports/usp/affordable-textbooks-policy-guide
The AIM Open Textbook Initiative
Austin D., et al. (December 2013/January 2014). The AIM Open Textbook Initiative, MAA Focus, p. 35. Retrieved from http://www.maa.org/
Amazon Unveils Kindle Textbook Creator
Bolkon, J. (January 22, 2015). Amazon unveils Kindle Textbook Creator, Campus Technology. Retrieved from http://campustechnology.com/
College Textbooks: Students Have Greater Access to Textbook Information
U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). (2013). College Textbooks: Students Have Greater Access to Textbook Information, Report to Congressional Committees GAO-13-368.
A Cover to Cover Solution
Student Public Interest Research Group (2010) presents findings related to student use of textbooks and open access textbook solutions.
Developing a $10 Digital Textbook
Meyer, L. (July 15, 2015). Developing a $10 digital textbook, Campus Technology. Retrieved from http://campustechnology.com/
Digital Course Materials: ProQuest Acquires SIPX
A potential technology solution to leverage library subscriptions to avoid additional copyright costs in coursepacks.
E-textbook use, information seeking behaviour and its impact: Case study business and management
D. Nicholas, I. Rowlands, & H.R. Jamali. (2010). "E-textbook use, information seeking behaviour and
its impact: Case study business and management," Journal of Information Science, 36 (2), 263-280.
An Experiment in Open-Access Textbook Publishing: Changing the World One Textbook at a Time
Morris-Babb, M. & Henderson, S. (2012). An experiment in open-access textbook publishing: changing the world one textbook at a time, Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 43(2), 148-155. doi: 10.3138/jsp.43.2.148
Link for non-EMU users: article at Project Muse
Funding open access monographs: A coalition of libraries and publishers
Gatti, R. & Mierowsky, M. (2016). Funding open access monographs: a coalition of libraries and publishers, College & Research Libraries News, 77 (9), 456-459.
A Growing (But Controversial) Idea in Open-Access Textbooks: Let Students Help Write Them
Wexler, E. (February 9, 2017). A growing (but controversial) idea in open-access textbooks: let students help write them, EdSurge News. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/
How to Go Textbook Free
Schaffhauser, Dian (March 9, 2016). How to go textbook free, Campus Technology. Retrieved from https://campustechnology.com
‘A Mean Amount of Money’
Administrators at CUNY and SUNY look to seize an $8 million opportunity to drastically expand the use of open educational resources at their campuses.

‘A Mean Amount of Money’ (April 14, 2017). Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com
Multi-Institutional Study of the Impact of Open Textbook Adoption on the Learning Outcomes of Post-Secondary Students
Fischer, L., Hilton, J., Robinson, J. & Wiley, D.A. (2015). A multi-institutional study of the impact of open textbook adoption on the learning outcomes of post-secondary students.” Journal of Computing in Higher Education 27(3), 159–172.
Never Pay Sticker Price for a Textbook Again
Carey, K. (20 Dec 2012). Never pay sticker price for a textbook again: The open educational resources movement that’s terrifying publishers. Slate.com. Retrieved from http://www.slate.com
Opening the Textbook: Educational Resources in U.S. Higher Education, 2015-16
A national survey of faculty.
Open textbook adoption and use: implications for teachers and learners
Petrides, L., Jimes, C., Middleton‐Detzner, C., Walling, J. & Weiss, S. (2011). Open textbook adoption and use: implications for teachers and learners. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 2 (1). doi: /10.1080/02680513.2011.538563
Open Textbooks: The Billion Dollar Solution
Senack, E. (2015). Open textbooks: the billion dollar solution. Washington, DC: Center for Public Interest Research. Retrieved from http://www.studentpirgs.org/
Open Textbooks: The Current State of Play
American Council on Education Center for Education Attainment and Innovation. (2015) Open Textbooks: The Current State of Play. Quick Hit Paper. Available at http://www.acenet.edu
Pay Nothing? Easier Said Than Done
Azevedo, A. (2013, January 27). Pay nothing? Easier said than done. Chronicle of Higher Education.
The long trail of comments on this article is quite interesting!
A Textbook Case in Physics
A textbook case in physics (June 16, 2014). Chronicle of Higher Education. Short interview with a prof who had grad students create a WIKI textbook.
Open Educational Resources Movement Scales Up
About OER in K-12 education:
Cavanagh, S. (March 28, 2017). Open educational resources movement scales up, Education Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org
FACTORS INFLUENCING FACULTY INNOVATION AND ADOPTION OF OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Can an 'Open' Math Curriculum Compete With Commercial Publishers?
Sawchuk, S. (August 24, 2017). Can an 'Open' Math Curriculum Compete With Commercial Publishers?,
About OER in K-12 education:
.EdWeek. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org.
How Machine Learning Is Easing OER Pain Points
OER: Bigger Than Affordability
OER and Affordable-Textbook Labeling Gains Ground
Opening the Textbook: Open Education Resources in U.S. Higher Education, 2017
Survey on adoption of OER in higher ed.
Growing pains begin to emerge in open-textbook movement
Gose, B. (2017, April 14). Growing pains begin to emerge in open-textbook movement. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 63(32), B12+.
OER Had Its Breakthrough in 2017. Next Year, It Will Become an Essential Teaching Tool
Silagadze, M. (Dec 28, 2017). OER had its breakthrough in 2017. Next year, Ii will become an essential teaching tool, EdSurge News. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/
Textbooks could be free if universities rewarded professors for writing them

Library Efforts

Academic Libraries and the Textbook Taboo: Time to Get Over It?
Anderson, R. (July 7, 2016). Academic libraries and the textbook taboo: time to get over it?, The Scholarly Kitchen, [web log post]. Retrieved from https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/
The EMU Library Tackles the Textbook Problem
K. Pittsley (2014). The EMU Library tackles the textbook problem, FacultyConnections@EMULibrary, 2 (1). Retrieved from https://guides.emich.edu/facconnect
The Embedded Textbook: Collaborating with Faculty to Employ Library Subscription Ebooks as Core Course Text
Ratto, B. G., & Lynch, A. (2012). The embedded textbook: Collaborating with faculty to employ library subscription E-books as core course text. Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 24(1), 1-16.
Let’s Burn Them All: A Librarian’s View
Werner, R. (2014). Let’s burn them all: a librarian’s view, Journal of Management Education, 38(5), 759-763. doi: 10.1177/1052562914522233
OSU Libraries Offer Open Access Etextbooks to Students
Chant, I. (April 2014). OSU Libraries offer open access e-textboooks to students, Library Journal. Retrieved from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/
Textbook Affordability: Is There a Role for the Library
Lyons, C. & , Hendrix, D. (2014) Textbook affordability: Is there a role
for the library?, The Serials Librarian 66 (1-4). 262-267, doi: 10.1080/0361526X.2014.877282
Textbook affordability: The library's role
Massis, B. E. (2013). Textbook affordability: The library's role. New Library World, 114(3), 179-183. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/03074801311304087
Water on a Hot Skillet: Textbooks, Open Educational Resources, and the Role of the Library
Raschke, G. & Shanks, S. (2011) Water on a hot skillet: textbooks, open educational resources, and the role of the library. Library Technology Reports 47(8), 52+.
Open Educational Resources and Institutional Repositories
Connect OER Annual Report
Yano, B. (2017). Connect OER Annual Report, 2016-2017. Washington, DC: SPARC.
As Campuses Move to Embrace OER, College Libraries Become Key Players
Young, J.R. (Jan 4, 2018). As campuses move to embrace OER, college libraries become key players,
EdSurge News. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/

The Return on Investment of Textbook Alternative Projects

Cost-Savings Achieved in Two Semesters Through the Adoption of Open Educational Resources
Hilton, J. L. III, Robinson, T.J., Wiley, D. & Ackerman, J. D. (2014). Cost-savings achieved in two semesters through the adoption of open educational resources, The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 15(2), 67-84. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/
Hidden Impacts of OER: Effects of OER on Instructor Ratings and Course Selection
Nusbaum, A. T. & Cutter, C. (2020). Hidden impacts of OER: Effects of OER on instructor ratings and course selection. Fontiers in Education, 5 (72). doi: 10.19173/irrodl.v18i4.3118
The Impact of Open Educational Resources on Various Student Success Metrics
Colvard, N., Watson, E., and Park, H. (2018). “The Impact of Open Educational Resources on Various Student Success Metrics.” International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
International Journal of Open Educational Resources (IJOER)
An open access, double-blind peer-reviewed journal publishing articles on the impact of OER.
Is the average cost of a textbook $100?
Open Oregon discusses ways to measure savings to students from use of free resources.
Making a Dent in the Textbook Problem: Library Ebooks for Course Readings
Pittsley, K. (2016) Making a Dent in the Textbook Problem: Library E-Books for Course Readings: A Collaboration Between Department Faculty and the EMU Library, Final Report EMU Women in Philanthropy Grant.
A multi-institutional study of the impact of open textbook adoption on the learning outcomes of post-secondary students
Fischer, L., Hilton III, J., Robinson, T. J., & Wiley, D. A. (2015). A multi-institutional study of the impact of open textbook adoption on the learning outcomes of post-secondary students. Journal of Computing in Higher Education. doi:10.1007/s12528-015-9101-x
A New Way to Motivate Faculty Adoption of OER
Staben, C. (February 13, 2019). A new way to motivate faculty adoption of OER, Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com
OER at Scale: The Academic and Economic Outcomes of Achieving the Dream’s OER Degree Initiative
This large scale project showed that students earned more credits when a college offered many courses using OER. All students benefit, and it makes the biggest difference for Pell Grant students. The financial benefit to the College from increased credits was expected to exceed costs of the program.
One college’s use of an open psychology textbook
Hilton, J. & Laman, C. (2012). One college’s use of an open psychology textbook. Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and eLearning, 27(3). doi: 10.1080/02680513.2012.716657
Open educational resources and college textbook choices: a review of research on efficacy and perceptions
Hilton, J. (2016). Open educational resources and college textbook choices: A review of research on efficacy and perceptions. Educational Technology Research and Development, 64(4), 573-590.
Open textbooks save Math students up to $1 million this year
Profs at the University of British Columbia describe how and why they use open textbooks--saving students money isn't the only benefit.

Other Textbook Research & News

The College Bookstore, Disrupted
Rosen, J. (Nov 25, 2016). The college bookstore, disrupted, Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com
An Exploratory Analysis of Textbook Usage and Study Habits: Misperceptions and Barriers to Success
Berry, T., Cook, L., Hill, N. & Stevens, K. (2010). An exploratory analysis of textbook usage and study habits: misperceptions and barriers to success, College Teaching, 59(1), 31-39. doi: 10.1080/87567555.2010.509376
How a ‘Syllabus Commons’ Could Change Higher Education
Karaganis, J. (FEBRUARY 18, 2016). How a ‘Syllabus Commons’ could change higher education. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/
Let’s Burn Them All: Reflections on the Learning-Inhibitory Nature of Introduction to Management and Introduction to Organizational Behavior Textbooks
Snyder, R. (2014). Let's burn them all: reflections on the learning-inhibitory nature of Introduction to Management and Introduction to Organizational Behavior textbooks, Journal of Management Education, 38(5), 733-758. doi: 10.1177/1052562913502481
Pearson 20-F SEC Filing - 4 April 2017
More interesting reading than you might expect from government paperwork.
Pearson fights for its future as investors consider a break-up
Williams, C. (January 21, 2017) Pearson fights for its future as investors consider a break-up, The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/
Publishers Charge Follett with Selling Counterfeit Texts
And Follet responds.
Rise of Online Booksellers Brings Complaints From Campus Bookstores
Koenig, R. (September 5, 2014). Rise of online booksellers brings complaints from campus bookstores, Chronicle of Higher Education.
Student Attitudes Toward Content in Higher Education (slides)
Vassallo, N. (April 28, 2015). Student attitudes toward content in higher education (slides), BISG's Higher Ed Conference, New York, NY.
Student Practices in Copyright Culture: Accessing Learning Resources
Czerniewicz, L. (2016). Student practices in copyright culture: accessing learning resources, Learning, Media And Technology. doi: 10.1080/17439884.2016.1160928
Theory and Evidence of Switching Costs in the Market for College Textbooks
McMahan, C. (2013). Theory and evidence of switching costs in the market for college textbooks (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from http://scholar.colorado.edu
A Weird but True Fact about Textbook Publishers and OER
Feldstein, M. (November 19, 2014). Blog post on eLiterate. http://mfeldstein.com/
Book Vouchers: An Exploratory Analysis of Their Use and Effectiveness
Hurley, P. M. (2011). Book vouchers: an exploratory analysis of their use and effectiveness," Journal of Student Financial Aid, 41 (3). Retrieved from http://publications.nasfaa.org/jsfa/
Which is Better Reading in Print or on Screen? ‘There’s No Easy Answer’
O'Malley, S. (August 16, 2017). Which is better reading in print or on screen? ‘There’s no easy answer.’ Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com
What We Teach: K-12 School District Curriculum Adoption Process, 2017
Sales of Print Books Tumble at Wiley
Publisher's Weekly
Can a For-Profit, Venture-Backed Company Keep OER Free—and Be Financially Sustainable?
Johnson, S. (April 12, 2018). Can a for-profit, venture-backed company keep OER free—and be financially sustainable?, EdSurge News. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/
Student Perceptions of College Faculty Who Use OER
The Fall, and Rise, of Reading
Johnson, Steven. (April 21, 2019) The fall, and rise, of reading, The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com
Pearson v. Chegg Challenges Lawfulness of Supplementary Educational Materials
Association of Research Libraries. ARL Views blog. September 28, 2021

Online Communities

Open Education Group
This ongoing review project "provides a summary of all known empirical research on the impacts of OER adoption."
Open Mathbook
A place to promote, discuss, and develop free and open source mathematics textbooks
Rebus Community
Rebus.Community is a collaborative platform for creating Open Textbooks.
SPARC Libraries & OER Forum
"a network of academic and research librarians interested in open educational resources (OER)"

Relevant Legislation

Higher Education Opportunity Act - 2008
Enacted.
Affordable College Textbook Act Reintroduced in Congress
April 2019
OER State Policy Playbook
"provides policy recommendations for state legislators interested in tackling college affordability through OER"
OER State Policy Tracker
Lists current state bills related to OER.
ASG renews effort to support bill that could reduce the cost of textbooks
Article on national student government organization support for the Affordable Textbook Act.
Fair Access to Science and Technology Research
Proposed
Proposed cap on textbook costs in peril after colleges object
Article on Ohio bill to cap college texts costs.
Texas enacts legislation for more OER in higher ed, K-12

Guide Author

Kate Pittsley-Sousa

Contact:

kate.pittsley@emich.edu

Subjects: Education