Looking at Complying with the Higher Education Opportunity Act on Book Costs

SAIR October 17-20 2009

Dallas TX

Gerry McLaughlin, DePaul UniversityJosetta McLaughlin, Roosevelt UniversityJoseph McLaughlin, Clemson University

Rapid rise in prices attributed to:• Higher than normal inflation in the printing

business. • The limited market for textbooks. • The enhancement of textbooks to include

more expensive graphics. • Textbook "bundling" with CD-ROMs and

other supplemental materials. • The publishing of new books to cover minor

subject changes, lowering the resale value of existing textbooks.

How to Lower Textbook Costs in American Colleges

Publisher Requirement

For Fall 2010

133 (c) Information provided by Publisher– The price at which the publisher makes the

textbook or material available to bookstore– Copyright dates of the three previous editions – Description of substantial content revisions– Availability in any other format, including

paperback and unbound – and price– Unbundled cost of materials

Institutional “Requirement”133. (d)…to the maximum extent practicable…

1) disclose, on the institution’s Internet course schedule and in a manner of the institution’s choosing, the International Standard Book Number and retail price information of required and recommended college textbooks and supplemental materials for each course listed in the institution’s course schedule used for preregistration and registration purposes…

Except ( 133.d continued)

(A) if ISBN not available …then … include in the Internet course schedule the author, title, publisher, and copyright date…; and

(B) if (institution determines)…not practicable.., then the institution shall so indicate by placing the designation “To Be Determined’ in lieu of the information required under this subsection; and

2) if applicable, include on the institution’s written course schedule a notice that textbook information is available on the institution’s Internet course schedule, and the Internet address for such schedule.

Alternatives• Provide down-loads from Book store

companies with search capability.

• Build “shopping cart” into preregistration system.

• Use historical estimate where actual data are not available.

• Key is to identify the book (ISBN and edition) for the class and section.

Issue• In some courses, materials depend on the

instructor and in some cases the instructor is not known until a week or so before the class starts.

• Examples: – Over-enrolled sections are split.– Adjuncts are hired a limited time before classes

• Suggestion: Combine a designation of “Instructor not assigned” with “To be Determined” and provide data based on prior classes with a warning that this is an estimate.

Issue• Some sequence classes use the same book or

materials for multiple courses in the sequence.

• Examples:

– Accounting, Mathematics, Chemistry, Computer Science and multiple sequence courses – often not entry level courses.

– Course Labs requiring lab equipment,

– Theatre and Art classes requiring core supplies.

• Suggestion: Provide explanation in notes to the cost material.

Issue• Materials are bundled.• Examples:

– Science courses with labs.

– Management courses with case studies and simulations on-line.

– Computer courses with student software that has a time window after first use

• Suggestion: Information about the bundle and the required edition needs to be made available on the web.

Issue• Some faculty do not list their books in the

book store inventory.• Examples:

– Some faculty encourage students to purchase at alternative source.

– Some materials are instructor created and priced based on institutional/program policies.

• Suggestion: Based on legal advice about your book store contract and with participation of academic affairs interpret federal guidelines and establish a policy.

The Requirement (133. continued)

(e) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION FOR COLLEGE BOOKSTORES.—…institution…shall make available to a college bookstore

1) the institution’s course schedule for the subsequent academic period;

2) for each course or class…—(A) the information required by subsection (d)(1)

…(B) the number of students enrolled in such course

or class; and(C) the maximum student enrollment for such

course or class.

Issue• This is a very vague requirement• Examples

– It is not known when the reporting requirement of actual enrollments is supposed to happen

– The actual enrollment is a moving number that starts at zero prior to enrollment and changes through the drop-add period.

• Suggestion: Comply in spirit. Include historical census date enrollments. Check industry standards/Federal Requirements.

The “Encouragement”(f) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.—An institution

disclosing the information required by subsection (d)(1) is encouraged to disseminate to students information regarding—(1) available institutional programs for renting textbooks or for purchasing used textbooks;(2) available institutional guaranteed textbook buy-back programs;(3) available institutional alternative content delivery programs; or(4) other available institutional cost-saving strategies.

Issue• This may put the institution at risk.

• Examples:

– Identifying less expensive alternatives may be seen as endorsement.

– Suggesting less expensive alternatives may be inconsistent with bookstore contract.

• Suggestion: Based on legal advice about your book store contract and participation of academic affairs interpret federal guidelines and establish a policy.

Options: US News

• Free – Library, Instructor, Barter systems

• Rent – Retailers, web services

• Major Discounts – web shopping, used books

• Small Discounts - retailers

http://www.usnews.com/education/paying-for-college/articles/2009/09/02/4-ways-to-get-college-textbooks-free.html

Free• Library (Very limited books, extensive articles)• Professors Copies (Very limited – legal issues)• Online (136,000,000 hits – free college textbooks)

– Project Gutenberg (mostly authors dead for 50 years) (http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page )

– Barley (http://www.bartleby.com/ ) – Hardbacks, Paperbacks, Textbooks Are All

Free. Join In Seconds! http://www.SwapTree.com

http://www.usnews.com/education/paying-for-college/articles/2009/09/02/4-ways-to-get-college-textbooks-free.html

Barter Systems• “Bookins is a website where you can easily

trade books and more with other readers.

• Bookins arranges for trades—from you to one member and from a third member back to you, and so on. You never have to contact anyone, waste time, or deal with unpleasantness. You don’t even have to visit the post office. The correct postage for your shipment is provided from the website.”

http://www.bookins.com/

Options: e-Books• Hundreds of thousands free/purchase on Internet • Publishers are converting their back-lists.  • Many new titles are available at a lower price.• Adjustable type-size makes large-type editions.• Add-ons to most make Audio-Books.• Search text for any word, then bookmark result.• E-Publishers offer small runs of books at affordable

prices. • Many out-of-print classics are available.

Copied with editing from http://home.wanadoo.nl/cecilia.mccabe/instructions.htm

Amazon Kindle Program• “Beginning this fall, some students at Case Western

Reserve University in Cleveland will be given large-screen Kindles with textbooks for chemistry, computer science and a freshman seminar already installed..,”

• “Amazon has worked out a deal with several textbook publishers to make their materials available for the device..,”

• Note: This can be like rent and may “time-out”

Wall Street Journal, May 5,2009 http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124146996831184563.html

Text Book Modules• Connexions,

– based at Rice University in Houston, Texas– has amassed 14,000 "modules“ – can be selected to assemble into textbooks,

known as collections. – "We welcome everybody to contribute," says

Connexions' community development specialist Jonathan Emmons. "We are not putting a restriction on who can use our content."

Scientific America, August 14, 2009

Open Source e-books• California Learning Resource Network

(CLRN)– "open-source digital textbooks“ – Focuses on K-12 books at present– Submissions are rated based on the match

with California standards– Currently involves three nonprofit

organizations and textbook company Pearson – CK-12 Foundation submitted seven books, all

with impressive CLRN scores Scientific America, August 14, 2009

Ohio Textbook Portal

• “Students taking classes at an Ohio college, university, or adult workforce center can buy eTextbooks and save approximately 50% off the price of a new print textbook…”

• “Also those at any of the System's private college and university partners that are members of the Ohio Library Information Network (OhioLINK) – can access FREE or DISCOUNTED eTextbooks through our discount textbook search engine.”

http://textbooks.uso.edu/

The way it WasAuthor

Student

Publisher

Vendor

Book Store

Cost

$

$

$$

The way it May BeAuthor

Publisher

Vendor

Book StoreCost

Student

$$

$

Student

The Way it May Be• Like Music dispersion

– Share music for free (advertising)– Single song/modules– Sell remixes and combinations– Show a little – sell the rest– Rent the song– Cut out the middle of the “supply chain”– Textbook clubs by membership– New publisher for any book (author/publisher)

Relative Costs• In general

– If a book cost X$– Used is 75% X$– Rent is 50% X$– Buy-back is 25%-0%X $ depending on re-use– Barter is ?$– “Free” is occasionally available – There must be a sustainable business model

for publisher and author.

The Study :Fall 2008

• A list of 16,803 books and materials was obtained - identified to the bookstore by faculty as related to their courses.

• Only 6,038 required materials were analyzed.

• The costs of the required books and materials were then computed for the 2,715 unique sections.

• The average was computed for 1,290 unique courses.

Level of Course NumberDiscipline 100 200 300-700 TotalCommerce $153.78 $112.94 $152.88 $149.09Communication $120.25 $ 93.71 $ 95.14 $ 97.83Computer and Digital Media $ 45.85 $ 79.31 $ 94.96 $ 85.01Education $ 24.98 $126.36 $101.02 $100.88Humanities $108.58 $ 81.47 $ 70.44 $ 92.49ISP-LSP $ 41.28 $ 58.19 $ 25.00 $ 47.51Law $155.66 $116.51 $127.33 $136.68Music $102.95 $ 49.12 $ 72.91 $ 81.40Natural Science $201.52 $141.86 $149.59 $171.96School for New Learning $ 77.91 $ 63.10 $ 51.77 $ 62.05Social Studies $100.65 $ 93.88 $102.47 $ 99.72Theatre $ 46.36 $109.14 $ 58.78 $ 73.62Total $116.37 $ 85.97 $111.69 $106.52

Table 1Average Costs by Discipline and Course Level

Table 2Number of Sections by Discipline and Course Number Level:

Level of Course Number Discipline 100 200 300-700 Total Commerce 77 42 306 425 Communication 11 43 26 80 Computer and Digital Media 35 133 214 382 Education 2 5 165 172 Humanities 265 175 106 546 ISP_LSP 58 36 1 95 Law 50 9 82 141 Music 25 13 14 52 Natural Science 104 36 89 229 School for New Learning 37 88 66 191 Social Studies 105 86 148 339 Theatre 18 23 22 63 Total 787 689 1,239 2,715

Table 3Distribution of Costs by Discipline

% of Sections Costing This Amount or Less Discipline 95% 75% 50% 25% 5%

Commerce $223.15 $192.85 $155.20 $125.70 $ 39.95

Communication $162.57 $114.08 $ 98.35 $ 79.38 $ 39.95

Computers and Digital Media $166.65 $118.00 $ 74.98 $ 49.95 $ 30.10

Education $178.64 $127.61 $101.50 $ 66.43 $ 32.08

Humanities $162.39 $134.11 $ 84.50 $ 54.96 $ 24.95

ISP_LSP $119.76 $ 56.75 $ 40.75 $ 24.48 $ 14.99

Law $216.50 $173.65 $147.20 $ 86.10 $ 50.95

Music $173.05 $103.70 $ 60.55 $ 39.95 $ 31.82

Natural Science $311.46 $211.35 $157.50 $120.20 $ 66.28

School for New Learning $126.45 $ 81.80 $ 57.80 $ 28.95 $ 10.50

Social Studies $189.51 $134.35 $ 96.00 $ 63.38 $ 28.95

Theatre $208.72 $106.60 $ 36.40 $ 23.33 $ 12.40

University $208.35 $141.40 $ 99.65 $ 55.95 $ 23.30

Costs For 20 Most Frequently Taken ClassesCourse Subject # College Enrolled Cost New

COMPOSITION & RHETORIC I WRD 103 LA&S 1,598 123.54EXPLORE CHICAGO ISP 102 LA&S 1,401 46.91

SOPH SEM:MULTCULTURALSM ISP 200 LA&S 1,113 59.99

PHILOSOPHY AND ITS ISSUES PHL 100 LA&S 1,077 44.47DISCOVER CHICAGO ISP 103 LA&S 1,006 34.68BUSINESS CALCULUS I BMS 125 Commerce 688 137.15

MATH LITERACY I ISP 120 LA&S 559 N/A

PRINCIPLES MICROECON ECO 105 Commerce 491 151.95PRINCIPLES OF MARKETING MKT 301 Commerce 477 147.62BUSINESS CALCULUS II BMS 126 Commerce 474 142.15BASIC WRITING II WRD 102 LA&S 470 142.72LEGAL/ETHCL ENVIRON BUSNS BLW 201 Commerce 461 208.00

INTRO TO ACCOUNTING I ACC 101 Commerce 452 197.85

COLLEGE ALGEBRA/PRECALC MAT 130 LA&S 450 162.99

MANAGEMENT INFO SYSTEMS MIS 340 Commerce 432 192.85

INTRO PSYCHOLOGY I PSY 105 LA&S 402 128.19

PRINCIPLES MACROECON ECO 106 Commerce 396 139.66

FOUNDATN ADULT LEARNING LL 250 SNL 392 13.74

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR MKT 310 Commerce 387 194.35

MGMT CONCEPTS/PRACTICES I MGT 300 Commerce 384 133.35

Study Summary• The average cost for books and materials in a

course section is approximately $100. Used materials are available for approximately 75% of this cost.

• The most expensive courses are, on the average, in Natural Science. In some of these cases this also involves the cost for laboratories which go with the courses and have their own requirements for books and materials.

• While the categories are somewhat homogeneous, the averages can be misleading. For example, in Computer and Digital Media, the Computer courses are significantly more expensive than the Digital Media courses.

Conclusions• The text book requirements from the

HEOA are designed to reduce the costs of books and materials to students.

• This will require additional work by publishers and universities.

• There are issues in complying with HEOA but it does sometimes say “To the maximum extent practicable” and “encouraged” .