Can open-source textbooks solve the textbook crisis?
Students are spending $1,200 – $1,300 on textbooks per academic at four-year schools, according to the College Board. A new study found that students can save an average of $128 per course with “open source” electronic versions of traditional textbooks. This may be the key to solving the cost crisis – but care must be taken not to sacrifice content quality. Check out this Planet Money story as well for a look into the economics driving the phenomenon dubbed “textbook arbitrage”.