The Role of Business Agreements in Defining Textbook Affordability and Digital Materials: A Document Analysis
Personal Identifier
10.18870/hlrc.v5i4.284
Keywords
eTextbook; textbook affordability; open educational resources; higher education
Abstract
Adopting digital materials such as eTextbooks and e-coursepacks is a potential strategy to address textbook affordability in the United States. However, university business relationships with bookstore vendors implicitly structure which instructional resources are available and in what manner. In this study, a document analysis was conducted on the bookstore contracts for the universities included in the State University System of Florida. Namely, issues of textbook affordability, digital material terminology and seller exclusivity were investigated. It was found that textbook affordability was generally conceived in terms of print rental textbooks and buyback programs, and that eTextbooks were priced higher than print textbooks (25% to 30% markup). Implications and recommendations for change are shared.
Publication Date
12-31-2015
Original Citation
Raible, J., & deNoyelles, A. (2015). The role of business agreements in defining textbook affordability and digital materials: A document analysis. Higher Learning Research Communications, 5(4). http://dx.doi.org/10.18870/hlrc.v5i4.284
Document Type
Paper
Publication Version
Publisher's version
Rights
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
College
Information Technologies & Resources
Location
Orlando (Main) Campus
Department
Center for Distributed Learning
STARS Citation
Raible, John and deNoyelles, Aimee, "The Role of Business Agreements in Defining Textbook Affordability and Digital Materials: A Document Analysis" (2015). Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 3.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/ucfscholar/3