The document discusses rising textbook costs for college students and alternatives to traditional textbooks. Some key points:
- Textbook prices are rising 3 times faster than inflation, forcing many students to skip buying textbooks which can negatively impact grades.
- Open educational resources and open websites provide free high-quality content online but have seen limited adoption by educators due to the time required to find and curate materials.
- Boundless is presented as a solution, providing customized open online textbooks and learning tools to save students money while helping educators build their courses. Student and teacher testimonials praise Boundless for its ease of use and positive impact on learning.
2. Textbook prices are rising at 3x rate of inflation
Educational Books
and Supplies
3x
Consumer Price Index
(1982-1984 = 100)
http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/655066.pdf!
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3. 7 in 10 students
have skipped buying a textbook due to cost
!
Source: Student PIRGS
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4. almost all are concerned
their grades will suffer
7 in 10 students
have skipped buying a textbook due to cost
!
Source: Student PIRGS
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5. where do these students attend school?
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6. For every 100 higher ed students....
1 is at a school ranked in the top
hundred academically
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7. For every 100 higher ed students....
1 is at a school ranked in the top
hundred academically
39 are studying part time
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8. For every 100 higher ed students....
1 is at a school ranked in the top
hundred academically
39 are studying part time
48 are over the age of twenty-five
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9. For every 100 higher ed students....
1 is at a school ranked in the top
hundred academically
39 are studying part time
48 are over the age of twenty-five
50 are at community colleges
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10. at community colleges
the cost of textbooks matters
✓ According to College Board, average student spends $1,200 per
year on textbooks and supplies
✓ At community colleges, this can be as much as 39% of total tuition
and fees
✓ Nearly half of students surveyed indicate that cost of textbooks
impacts how many / which classes they take in a semester
✓ Only half of students who pause studies resume; of those who pause
a second time, only 5% finish degree
✓ Affordability is one of top two causes of pausing studies
Source: Student PIRGS, University Ventures Fund
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11. Textbook alternatives: more and more high
quality open content available on the web
Public Domain
!
OER
!
Open Websites
!
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12. However, adoption lags
‣ Time consuming for educators to find, vet, and
compile resources
‣ Format of materials may be difficult to navigate,
use, integrate with each other
Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
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16. Professors
I would recommend Boundless to instructors who are looking for quality, vetted,
open source material, that is easily customized to the content level and detail for
introductory Biology Classes.
T. Heath Ogden, Ph.D., Utah Valley University
It’s fun, easy, and intellectually rewarding to navigate through the Boundless
website. I'm very impressed by the value of Boundless to students in my
discipline and hope other faculty members will take advantage of what it offers.
Phil Venditti, Ph.D., Clover Park Technical College
Students
Boundless is the perfect electronic resource for students looking to save tons of
money on textbooks. The books are also easier to read and understand - it's a
win win! Better grades and more money in my pocket!!
Kyle B., Michigan State University
Boundless is a great way to stay on top of your studies. I used Boundless for the
first time last semester and was amazed with how easy it was to study and actually
retain the information in much less time compared to conventional studying!
Janelle H., University of North Texas
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