In accordance with the Higher Education Act of 2008, Florida Statute 1004.085 and Florida Administrative Code rule 6A-14.092, Palm Beach State College is working actively to reduce the costs of textbooks to students. Please see www.palmbeachstate.edu/textbookcompliance.xml to see how Palm Beach State has implemented these requirements.
The following strategies to reduce costs are taken from the Textbook Affordability Report - http://www.fldoe.org/cc/pdf/fcstawfr.pdf
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| Implementation of Open Access Textbooks: Open access textbooks are available without licensing restrictions and such textbooks can be downloaded and printed at minimal cost. Therefore, while accessing the materials online may be free to the student, if the faculty or student prefers to have a printed copy, there is an associated cost which is expected to be significantly less than that of a published textbook. Many states, including Florida, are exploring open access textbook options. Open access textbooks are an emerging national phenomenon offering one of the more promising long-term solutions to textbook affordability. For example, the Florida Distance Learning Consortium is partnering with the University Press of Florida to implement a process by which faculty and students have access to free, peer-reviewed textbooks that may be customized and viewed electronically or printed on-demand at a reduced per page cost. The partnership agreement is being called Orange Grove Text Plus (OGTP). At this time, the number of texts available through this agreement is minimal and the peer review process has not been implemented. A critical component that will impact the success of OGTP is faculty buy-in and it is important to explore ways to motivate faculty to develop and use texts available through the partnership. As a point of clarification, open access textbooks differ from electronic textbooks or e-textbooks. E-textbooks are simply electronic versions of published textbooks. |
Faculty
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Rental Program Awareness Campaign: Textbook rental programs are becoming a viable option for students. With the growth of online rental Web sites like www.Chegg.com, students are able to rent textbooks for a semester at a fraction of the price of purchasing the book. Colleges with contracts with companies such as Follet and Barnes and Noble may be restricted from promoting and/or developing rental programs; therefore, the Textbook Affordability Workgroup identified the Division of Florida Colleges to promote awareness.
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Division of Florida Colleges, Follett Bookstore |
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E-Textbook Licenses in Libraries - E-textbooks, unlike open access textbooks, are electronic versions of published textbooks. The cost of e-textbooks varies and licenses for use vary by publisher. While this is not an approach the Textbook Affordability Workgroup anticipates working on a broad scale for all students, it is a workable solution for high demand courses. The FLDOE may consider a statewide purchasing agreement regarding e-textbooks rather than having each college pursue individual agreements as a statewide purchasing agreement could result in greater cost-effectiveness.
Palm Beach State College has purchased "Kindle" e-reader devices to check out to students with e-books downloaded.
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Palm Beach State College Libraries |
| Guidelines for Textbook Adoption Policies - Rule 6A-14.092, F.A.C., should be revised to provide colleges with guidelines to follow when adopting textbooks. Effective policies include adoption timeframes, faculty awareness and selection practices, contract negotiations with internally and externally owned bookstores, and administrative monitoring efforts to ensure practice is consistent with established policies set by local college boards of trustees. |
Palm Beach State Board College Policy available upon request. |
| Student Textbook Affordability Awareness Campaign - The Textbook Affordability Workgroup recognizes that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to minimizing textbook costs. To effectively address the problem, collaboration and partnership is needed between all stakeholders including, textbook publishing companies, federal and state governments, state education agencies, colleges and universities, as well as parents and students. Parents and students need to be aware of their options, not just those options available at their local college. They need to research to find the best alternatives that meet their education and financial needs. |
Students, Parents and all those in a decision-making position to purchase textbooks. |
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