Column: Textbook costs could outweigh benefits
Published Jan. 22, 2010
On Tuesday, I purchased my textbooks for the final time as an undergraduate. While waiting in line, I reflected on how much the industry has changed in recent years and pondered whether textbooks were still truly necessary for students. With several thousand dollars spent over the years, I reasoned it was worth the intellectual discourse.
What has changed in recent years? Perhaps most importantly, the Textbook Transparency Act was signed into law June 2008, abolishing the arbitrary bundling of textbooks by publishers. For those who might be unfamiliar with the topic, "bundling" refers to the practice of attaching additional CDs, workbooks, etc., to a textbook and subsequently raising the price of the newly created bundle. Unsurprisingly, students found they often had no need for these additional items but lacked the freedom to purchase the book separately. Even today, I find it disturbing it required the weight of the General Assembly to correct that predatory practice.
Professors have made positive changes. Many instructors have essentially created their own textbooks, often referred to as course packets, by collecting journal articles or select portions of textbooks to reduce the cost to students.
Additionally, the University Bookstore, frequently the target of criticism, has made important changes. It is exciting to see MU build its ability to produce class materials in-house, with the acquisition of its own printing machine, capable of creating paperback books. I was also intrigued by the prospect of renting a textbook from the University Bookstore. (I'm trying it out with my textbook for Finance 2000.) Perhaps I've been oblivious in the past, but I also noticed required and recommended textbooks were clearly segregated from each other to help prevent students from making unnecessary purchases.
These changes have been beneficial for students, but they are irrelevant if students do not need textbooks in the first place.
For instance, my $173.30 textbook for Economics 1014, and its $179.00 companion for Economics 1015 were sold to more than 1,500 students this semester and 2,000 students last semester. I cannot vouch for the situation in Economics 1015, but this textbook was totally unnecessary for Economics 1014. Similarly, though the instructor insisted I would fail the course without the textbook, I did not need the text to successfully complete Management 3000. My friend and colleague Phyllis Williams simply checked out one of the copies found in Ellis Library and found the information relevant to the handful of questions on the study guide that originated from the textbook.
In contrast, most of the psychology classes I have completed did not require a textbook, though some suggested a book for those who were interested.
Others have found a medium. Most of my history classes have elected to assign a set of monographs, and my political science classes often package journal articles over more expensive textbooks.
Some courses will always need textbooks, most notably the hard sciences, but other courses simply don't require textbooks. Rather, faculty members feel obligated to assign them as they view it as part of their job description. Instructors need to refresh their views on this matter and realize that, often, textbooks offer little added value for classes when compared to the financial burden placed on the student. Clearly, the best solution is to move to a system in which textbooks are only required if they are truly necessary for the successful completion of the course. Otherwise, they should be listed as recommended, and maybe one day, they'll be outdated altogether.