One of my first college classes listed a textbook that costed $200.
Now, as a younger sister to a recent college graduate, I knew that I shouldn’t buy textbooks at the campus bookstore. I searched TIS, Amazon and eBay. Yet every book was listed as being upwards of $200.
I checked it again, and then I realized that my cheapest option was to buy a paperback copy that still cost almost the full price listed at the bookstore.
It wasn’t until I got to class that I realized that the reason why my textbook was so expensive was because the purchase included a 10-digit access code that I needed to do eight homework assignments during the semester.
One of the best things about physical textbooks is that it’s possible to resell them after one use.
I have had classes in biology, Spanish and business where I was easily able to find the same books that I needed for much less than the sticker price. This is important for multiple reasons, but mostly because for a lot college students, money is an issue. Almost none of my friends buy books for full price.
Additionally, most students don’t have the ability to pay for brand new books. Textbook costs have risen 82 percent in the past decade.
Many companies like McGraw-Hill and Pearson offer some forms of online access codes that provide access to e-texts and homework assignments.
Now, as much as I complain, I love learning and don’t mind having homework. What I don’t like is paying upwards of $100 to do eight assignments per semester, nor do I like not being able to sell back an access code after I finish the class.
The world is moving to e-books and e-textbooks.
That’s fine.
It’s also fine that professors in large lecture classes assign homework online in order to grade in a quicker and more efficient manner. However, the cost of these access codes is prohibitive to students who can’t afford it.
With a physical textbook, there are cheaper options: renting a book, borrowing it or even buying it used.
With an access code, especially one that is needed to complete a homework assignment, students may be forced to choose between academic success and basic human needs, like food or rent.
Are access codes the way of the future? From my experiences in college, it may just be limited to introductory classes where the number of students makes it difficult for a professor to grade them efficiently.
However, I think that having to pay to finish homework makes students face choosing between academic success and paying for other costs that occur in their lives. Moreover, it is a waste of money for student to pay so much to complete a few homework assignments in one semester.
One of the best things about the textbook market is cheaper books. This means that paying for at least one aspect of college can be cheap.
Access codes can’t be resold. It prevents students from choosing an option that makes financial sense for themselves. This is something that professors should all think about when assigning books.
npatwari@indiana.edu
