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"Despite the widely publicized rising sticker prices on tuition, about two-thirds of the increase in the cost of attending a four-year college from 2000 to 2009 came from nontuition sources, such as books and off-campus room and board, according to a report released on Thursday by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity."

" Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) recently decided to take a novel approach to reducing textbook costs for its students by reworking its contracts not with the companies that sell books, but rather those that control the bookstores."

"49 percent of SNHU students either buy their textbooks someplace other than the campus bookstore or do not buy them at all." - wow.

IU's etextbook program: effort at reducing costs, improving learning

" three different institutions are adopting a solution that is far kinder to students' wallets. Robert Morris University, in Pennsylvania, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Patrick Henry College, in Virginia, have all started a textbook reserve -- essentially a library from which students can borrow required texts."

"Several universities have recently tried a new model for delivering textbooks in hopes of saving students money: requiring purchase of e-textbooks and charging students a materials fee to cover the costs. A recent report on some of those pilot projects, however, shows that many students find the e-textbooks "clumsy" and prefer print."

" Unfortunately, in the case of Mike Tracy, a highly-regarded animator who'd been teaching at the Art Institute of California-Orange County for the past 11 years, refusing to make students buy an e-book they don't need may have cost him his job."

I wonder where this occurs beyond the for-profit space.

"This is an open proposal to the CUNY community. Take action to drastically reduce the cost of textbooks and create a CUNY-wide eBook program. "

Saylor excitement over Apple announcement, since it provides an authoring environment for open textbooks. Still ome questions about licensing of books produced via iBook Author.

"Advocates for open-license textbooks in higher education, while largely unhappy with Apple's new iBooks 2 platform, say the technology behemoth has done a favor for their movement: Apple's pricey, limiting approach to digital textbooks is in stark contrast to the textbook model that aims for low-cost or free college texts."

"Daytona State College, a fifty-three year old former community college, now a state college offering four year degree, has a very seriously embarked upon the task of greatly reducing the cost of higher education via the replacement of traditional textbooks with a number of textbook alternatives, to include e-textbooks. Our faculty and administration are equally as passionate about solving this "student access limiting" issue. Many of the College's students pay more for textbooks than they pay for tuition and fees."

". CSU has announced a three-year deal with Nature Publishing Group for low-cost, interactive, web-based textbooks with access options for disabled students. "

"A typical college student spends up to $1,000 per year on textbooks, and many students don't buy textbooks at all because they're too expensive. E-textbooks can cost up to 50 percent less than standard textbooks while providing the foundation for integration of multiple learning resources into a single delivery system. E-textbooks and their enhanced interactive learning resources also have the potential to accelerate student learning."

"Apple's next big idea of digital textbooks in classrooms equipped with iPads has run into a snag: cost."

Yes indeed. Some of us pointed this out a while back (harrumph). Gotta love that Apple spokesperson's response.

Joseph Esposito looks at different textbook reform strategies, including cutting costs via "industrial engineering" (FlatWorld), crowdsourcing, multimedia, gaming, platform, and social network. Suggests that innovation will occur at community colleges and for-profits, where faculty has less power in choosing textbook.

"Logically, e-textbooks should be much cheaper than the print options available to students--but they're not. CT looks at the rationale behind their pricing, and the market factors at play."