We’ve all experienced the frustration that comes along with buying textbooks these days. First you have to locate the right edition, knowing there isn’t much of a difference between editions six and seven. Then you hunt for your book in paperback since no one really wants to have a hardback book if they can avoid it. Finally, you accept the fact that you are paying way too much money for a textbook that has about 300 more chapters than you will actually read.
What does this all mean? Well, for starters the way college textbooks are bought and read is in need of change. The first change should be a move to “unbundle” textbook packages. The second move can and should be one toward the use of free online textbooks. Finally, professors should make more use of custom textbooks for classes.
The concept of “bundled” textbook packages has especially become a problem for college students. A “bundled” textbook package is one in which the textbook comes packaged with other items such as CD-ROMs or reading supplements like study guides. Of course, the issue here is that students generally can’t choose to only buy the textbook; indeed, students usually are forced to purchase the entire package to get the textbook.
According to the California Public Interest Research Group, half of all college textbooks come “bundled.” Furthermore, the same study showed that 65 percent of faculty who assign textbooks that come in a package “rarely” or “never” use the extra items. Unfortunately, it is students who bear the cost of these overpriced and unnecessary packages.
“(Having “˜bundled’ packages) is a way for publishers to get more profits by charging students for something they don’t really need,” said second-year economics student Michael Farrell. “It’s like an additional book tax.”
Thus, to address this issue, Congress should pass legislation already on the floor of the House of Representatives that would require publishers to “unbundle” textbooks.
That said, professors should also begin actively exploring the use of free online textbooks to cut student costs while offering more efficient means of studying. These textbooks are textbooks that authors have decided to make available for free to students. While students cannot ““ and should not ““ sell material from these books, they can download and print material.
These online textbooks are written by academics in the same way that hard-copy textbooks are written. The only difference is these open online textbooks are better for students in a number of ways beyond simply being free.
For instance, these textbooks allow students to only download and read the portions of the text the professor has assigned. That way, students do not have to worry about chapters they don’t need to cover.
Finally, professors and the university should make more use of custom textbooks. These textbooks are ones that draw from a number of different textbooks to provide students with only the information professors feel is essential. For instance, the Chemistry 14 series uses textbooks like these, which are published by UCLA to include information from a number of sources ““ a much more efficient practice than having students buy four textbooks.
“(Customized textbooks) are more beneficial because you get everything that you need to know instead of content that you will never read,” said first-year biology student Aaron Neufeld.
Such custom textbooks would make things easier for students in a number of ways. First and foremost, students would never have to worry that they are buying a textbook that contains a lot of chapters they will never cover. Also, students would benefit from being able to learn from a number of different sources rather than one textbook that may be strong in some areas but weak in others.
Textbook buying has become one of the most frustrating aspects of college life. There is always the option to play it safe and go through the UCLA textbook store, but then you end up wondering if maybe Textbooks Plus in Westwood sells your book for less money. Or you could go straight to Textbooks Plus but end up worried that you didn’t get the “right” edition.
All of these issues add up to the clear need for a change in how students buy textbooks. Be it changes in the distribution of textbooks, such as “unbundling,” or the move to free online textbooks, change must happen. Students go to college to learn, not to be ripped off by companies abusing the fact that students need to buy textbooks to do so.
E-mail Margolis at mmargolis@media.ucla.edu if you know a better way to buy textbooks. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.