College Costs (Infographic: May Cause Anxiety)
Jun 27
Have college-bound kids? Brace yourself. The following INFOGRAPHIC about The High Price of Higher Education may cause wallet anxiety.
On the other hand, knowing how much colleges cost and the insane amount students and their families are paying for textbooks & supplies alone – $1,182 per year – makes us even more determined at Flat World Knowledge to solve textbook affordability. It’s no secret that textbook prices have skyrocketed over the last few years. (Here’s a handy calculator that will show you how your school stacks up.) Whether it’s a print textbook or e-textbook, when big publishers charge $150-$200 for one book, students feel the pain. Community college students are especially hit hard by the economics of textbooks. These learners can spend as much on textbooks as tuition. Ouch.
How we’re helping lower college costs, starting with textbooks
At Flat World Knowledge, we’re doing our part to lower college costs with a new approach that gives students affordable access to the course content they need to succeed. First, we sign great authors. Then we publish their works under an open-license. In case you haven’t heard, an open textbook costs about 80% less than traditional textbooks. And an open textbook offers students a lot more options to read and learn they way they want. The old model frowns upon sharing content. We encourage it. A Creative Commons open-license allows us to:
1.) Give college students easy, low-cost options to access their textbooks on any device. Including free online.
2.) Give professors the freedom and the platform to change content to to fit their curriculum and improve learning and teaching.
3.) Give authors an active role in solving textbook affordability, while providing well-deserved attribution and higher royalties.
Thanks H&R Block for this infographic that serves as another reminder that if we’re serious about lowering college costs, old models gotta go. Are you ready to change the conversation?
Related articles
- Why Are Textbooks So Expensive? The Comicgraphic. (flatworldknowledge.com)
- The College Bubble (flatworldknowledge.com)
About Michelle OBrien
Director of Community -- Loves Flat World customers and critics, SEO, keywords, #highered, plugins, domain authority, and shares. Favorite apps include Hotel Tonight and RunKeeper. Has worked in sales and marketing at McGraw-Hill Higher Education, Yahoo, Inc., and Pearson Education. Visit her on Google+
