Textbooks are among the most overpriced and frustrating experiences for students and professors. Students will find among the worst financial investments, and teachers will find little freedom.
Why are textbooks expensive?
1. They require skilled writers, which has a high cost. Many textbooks only sell a couple of thousand, which has to cover their expensive cost.
2. High markup, with a low incentive for a cheaper version. Students have large loans; the textbook is just a drop in the bucket for many students. Textbook costs and tuition costs have risen proportionally over the years.
3. About 50% of textbooks come in bundles. It is scarce that students can buy textbooks without unnecessary bundles. Professors report that they 'rarely' or 'never' use bundled materials in their courses.
4. American students get scammed worse. The same book in Europe and the UK is cheaper than in America without any proper explanation.
Admin Controlled
By targeting administrations, publishers can have a significant pull in colleges by selling them their online material. Online material is associated with higher passing rates among students. However, it is a ruse. Online homework and tests are easy to cheat on. Anyone who puts in a small amount of time can do it, allowing even the most mediocre students to have good grades.
Picking a Textbook
Democratic
Sometimes the professor can research their textbooks and discuss them with their department. After discussion, the department will decide on 1-3 books for everyone. This approach could be an issue for a teacher; if they disagree with the chosen books, they will be as bad off as the admin choosing the book for them. The democratic approach is among the most common in the surveyed data when choosing a textbook.
Professor’s choice
When a teacher has a choice, the things they like to consider are.
1. Is it available in the school library? School libraries are the most accessible and affordable way for students to use a course textbook.
2. Will the bookstore stock the books? Bookstores can guarantee that students have a way of getting the books quickly.
3. Reviews: While some teachers say online reviews are useless, some find them helpful when picking out a textbook. More than online reviews, many teachers report peer suggestions to be a strong influence on picking textbooks,
After a professor picks a couple of books they like, they will sometimes order examination copies of the book to see if it will be a good fit for their teaching style.
While not entirely random, many professors report panic-picking a textbook without providing sufficient research.
When to get Textbooks?
Students usually find out about their textbooks for class in two different ways; they either find out during the first day of school, but getting an email or a notice through an online platform like Blackboard is much more common.
Students are in an awkward position. Most students know which textbooks they "need" before class. Should they buy a textbook that the professor has no desire to use, or do they wait for the first day of class to see if they need it? Waiting for the first day of class risks the student not being prepared. Waiting can also force the student to buy the textbook through more expensive methods, either expedited shipping or the school's bookstore, which has comparatively high pricing.
Where to get books
The school library will allow students to take out a book for 3-7 days; there is no guarantee that they have the book in stock or even carry it.
The school bookstore will have any book they need for class, and they can get it on short notice; however, they are costly relative to other options.
Online textbook stores are much cheaper than school bookstores. However, it comes with the problem of shipping times. If students need the books in a pinch, they cannot buy them online.
Buy, rent, steal, borrow
The first option is buying books, students own them, but their value depletes drastically, especially when a newer edition comes out. There are many websites out there that allow students to view price comparisons for textbooks across sellers.
Renting is a popular option for students because it comes at a slightly cheaper cost and allows students to have the book for the entire semester; not returning the book will incur fees.
"Buying" the PDF version can be cheaper than printed textbooks. Instead of buying, students often pirate them online. PDF versions are only sometimes available and are considered inferior to physical textbooks.
Subscription model. Some companies are experimenting with a monthly subscription model for PDFs and online access codes for 100 dollars. If they have the student's textbooks, it could give them substantial savings. However, these only offer an E-book version, which is acceptable for some students; however, many find the E-book style inferior to paper.
The cheapest legal option is to share a book with a friend/classmate.
A registry
Teachers begin by choosing their school and entering their department, name, and class. That will serve as a way for students to find their online registry. The online registry will allow professors to put all student materials in one place.
The registry system is in place to make things as easy as possible for the student while adding only a little leg work for teachers. The registry system allows students to see all the materials in one spot; they can find them even if they lose their emails. All they need to know is their class, and they can find their textbook.
Begin the search
If the professor knows the book, they can type in the name or ISBM number to find it. They can type related keywords if they are browsing for a new one The reason we avoided a scroll-down menu of class names because there is such a broad range of classes in college. The tag system can help organize a vast system rather than a nearly never-ending list.
The user enters all the Keywords related to their class to find a textbook related to their field.
This setup also allows users to view textbooks with online homework systems only. This feature is unpopular among professors. However, Admins loved this feature. This addition could make the website popular among admins as well.
Suggested | Popularity | Reviews
Professors will often use textbooks suggested by their counterparts. For this reason, the most emphasized books in the search field are books recommended by their peers.
Sort by popularity. When interviewing professors about textbooks they use, they admit the textbook chosen and their department has chosen was the same book for three of the classes they taught at—indicating. Professors tend to gravitate to the same books.
Sort by Reviews. Reviews are a contested issue. Many teachers think reviews are entirely useless. However, some teachers like them, so the option is available for those that like it.
Selecting a book
It is essential to offer a way for teachers to get a desk copy or examination version and online resources for the book. Online resources are the quickest way for a teacher to get a feel for the book. However, the desk copy lets the teacher know the book so they can make an informed decision.
The book page lets the user see which faculty member suggests the textbook.
When choosing a textbook, a professor can allow past editions. Past editions are an excellent way for students to save money.
When adding books professor chooses between required and suggested. Required books are needed to complete the class; suggested books are books the professor thinks would help students. Having a required book list will help students save money by preventing them from purchasing textbooks they do not need. There is also a checkbox for teachers to let students see books required for online homework assignments. Allowing students to know they will need access to the book.
Reviews from the same school are prioritized, allowing professors to know who suggested the book to them.
After a professor has chosen a textbook, they add it to the relevant class registry.
Library link
Many teachers like to know if the book is in the library. Professors can send a link to their school library. They will receive an ISBN, and they will fill in how many of the books they stock of that book.
Student access code
Professors can add as many textbooks as they would like to their classes. After choosing all the books, professors are prompted with a link code that they can email to their students or add to their syllabi.
Adding all classes at once
When a student gets on the website, they can enter that code to get a quick list of books for their classes; they can add more than one list of books. They can add multiple class codes at once to do all of their school shopping at once. If a professor does not use the online platform, the student can type the ISBN or the name of the book to find the individual book.
Each time a student adds a book or class, a side window shows their added classes. Once they enter their textbooks and classes, they can add books to their cart for purchase/rental.
Informed buying decision
On the left-hand side, students find all the class registries and textbooks they added. Students can click on different class registries and textbooks to choose which to view.
When viewing a class registry, all the books assigned to that class are shown at the top. Along if they are required or not required, or student added.
While a book is selected, a student can view the following:
1. Which editions the teacher suggests/allows
2. If it has a required homework code
3. The percentage of previous students that found the book required to pass the class
4. How often do previous students report needing it?
In the scenario, the professor sends the school library a stock link; the page will show if the school library stocks the book.
5. How they would like to acquire the book. PDF, Rent, Buy
Student made registry
Students who add a textbook by name or ISBN will only get buying/renting information on the book. However, they will be prompted to add their class information. One of three things will happen after the student adds the class information.
1. If the teacher created a class registry with the book. The student is taken to the class registration page.
2. If the teacher added a class registry without the book. The student will be taken to the classes registry and prompted to add the book to the registry as a student-suggested book.
3. If the teacher did not make a registry, the student will be prompted to turn the book and class information into a registry with student-suggested books. The student registry will not show books as required, only as the student suggested, to avoid students tricking others into buying books they do not need.
Passing it along
After a semester ends or students return their rented textbooks, they will receive a survey if they need the textbook for the class. They inform the next set of students if that textbook is needed for the class.
Money makes money
If the student buys the textbook, it is automatically added to their collection of textbooks. Students can add more textbooks manually with an ISBN. From there, students can rent textbooks or view requests to rent their textbooks.
Renting from
Renting from another student is relatively easy. The student enters the book they want to rent and for how long. The app comes up with a price, and they submit the request.
Renting to
When the student is on the request page, they can see all the requests for their textbooks. Students can filter the results by omitting some of their textbooks. They can accept or message users looking to rent the textbook from there.
All left is for the renter to accept on their end and choose an on-campus meet-up spot. This allows Renters to stay safe from lowly-rated owners.
Feedback
Leaving feedback for both renters and book owners allow everyone to make the best choices for who do business with.