Open-source textbooks ease barriers for students

Open-source textbooks offer a way to eliminate the exorbitant costs of buying textbooks. Every semester students are forced to pay hundreds of dollars for textbooks that become outdated in only a few months. With prices on the rise, students and faculty need to come together to find a solution that will address this problem once and for all. Open- source textbooks can do that, and challenge the idea of limited access to knowledge.

According to an article from the University Wire in 2007, "College textbook prices are rising at about four times the rate of inflation, according to a study done in February by the national Campaign to Reduce College Textbook Costs. According to the report, the average student spends about $900 per year on books, which is almost 20 percent of tuition and fees at a four-year public institution." These costs are a barrier to full participation in the educational environment. Many students simply refuse to buy the books they need. We often share textbooks or do a quick look over at the Co-op before an exam. Open-source textbooks are digital versions of regular textbooks that are available for free online and are constantly updated. Open-source textbooks allow students to access required information from anywhere, and share it with as many other people as needed. This makes study sessions much easier, but also gives professors greater power to cater directly to the needs of their students.

Not only are open-source textbooks accessible, they are also modifiable. A professor can engage classrooms in debate about the content and alter it slightly over time, instead of publishing entirely new volumes. These updates and additions can be shared with academics across the country and updated with cutting-edge information much faster than is possible with any paper textbook. The textbook becomes a living document that always reflects the most up-to-date concepts without ever needing to be re-published. This both improves quality and reduces costs.

Open-source media in general is a concept that is confronting our traditional notions of how knowledge can be bought and sold. There are open-source operating systems to compete with Windows, such as Open BSD. These operating systems are available for free, and are proofs that not everyone believes we should put a price tag on information.

As UConn professors start writing their syllabi for next semester, they would be doing us all a favor by choosing to only use open-source textbooks in their classrooms. This will ensure they have the most up-to-date information and give students no excuse to miss required readings. Taking this bold step to liberate knowledge from the confines of ivory bookshelves will encourage a more engaged classroom environment that can reflect the interests of all parties involved.