1. Affordable Course Materials
Faculty Senate
University of Rhode Island
16 Nov. 2017

2. High Cost of Higher Education
Across the US, students are struggling with increasing costs of higher education
These costs affect student success, retention, and graduation rates.

3. In your academic career, has the cost of required textbooks caused you to:
2012
2016
63.6%
66.5%
Not purchase the required textbook
49.2%
47.6%
Take fewer courses
45.1%
45.5%
Not register for a specific course
33.9%
37.6%
Earn a poor grade
26.7%
26.1%
Drop a course
17.0%
19.8%
Fail a course
We could replicate this survey at URI and find similar results; we know students, good students, who don’t buy the books because they have to choose between books and food.
It’s been bleak info so far, here’s the bleakest part from a Fl Virtual Campus survey in 2016.
We need to have conversations about completion rates, student retention. I hope this slide bothers you and impacts you as much as it does me.
My campus is talking about student retention and completion rates. It’s not what’s in the books but the cost of the textbooks.
----Source: Florida Virtual Campus, Office of Distance Learning & Student Services. (2016, July 15) Student textbooks and course materials survey: Results and findings [draft]. Retrieved from
From Florida Virtual Campus Survey 2016

4. Many Factors Affect Cost
Tuition and Fees
Housing
Supplies (food, clothing, etc)
Transportation
Textbooks and Course Materials *
* Under faculty control!

5. Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics http://www.bls.gov/cpi/
---
Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Data: Bureau of Labor Statistics

6. The Average Student Budgets…
$1250/year for course materials
Some programs (STEM, Business) are much more expensive
They don’t necessarily spend that, making do by sharing books, using out of date texts, illegal downloading, or just going without

7. What Can We Do? Think creatively about how to deliver course materials
Explore options that reduce costs without sacrificing pedagogy or academic freedom
Develop appropriate approaches based on our expertise rather than following the lead of publishers and lawmakers
Build a strong culture on campus supporting innovation in supplying course materials

8. Sample Affordable Course Materials
Putting copies of course texts on RESERVE in the Library
Using materials from library SUBSCRIPTIONS rather than reading packs
Using OLDER editions
Using faculty- or Department-produced materials delivered in SAKAI
Exploring Open Educational Resources - OER

9. Places to Go for Help Affordable Course Materials Task Force
Website with resources (Dec. 2017)
Contact Peter Larsen
The URI Campus Store
Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning
Davis Foundation ACM Initiative:
General information and contact: