Universities seek alternatives to expensive textbooks | Deseret News National

"And the problem isn't isolated to Tacoma Community College. A 2014 study conducted by the Student Public Interest Research Group found 65 percent of students skipped purchasing a textbook because of cost. Students made the decision knowing it could harm their academic performance. According to College Board, the average college student in America spends about $1,200 per year on textbooks and supplies. That amounts to approximately 13 percent of tuition at a traditional, four-year university. Schools across the country are responding with policies that allow so-called open source textbooks, written by faculty, peer reviewed and available for free online to students. Research has shown open source textbooks can potentially lop millions of dollars off the higher-education price tag while improving student engagement with more interactive, digital publications ..."