By Jen Forse | Staff Writer
Textbook prices keep climbing, but buying a hard copy isn’t the only way Baylor students are accessing course materials. From Follett Fees to Canvas and library course reserves, students are finding ways to get what they need for class without always purchasing a new book.
According to an Aug. 6 article by the Association of American Publishers, students spend 44% less on textbooks today than 10 years ago.
At the same time, the Education Data Initiative found textbook prices increase by an average of 6% each year, doubling every 11 years, per the April 29 article. The AAP also found that 40% of course materials purchased are digital rather than physical, and the Education Data Initiative noted that digital copies are often 50% cheaper than hardbacks.
At Baylor, students have several options for accessing course materials. Many purchase materials through Follett Access, while others find books through the Baylor Bookstore, online retailers or library resources. Some professors also provide course materials directly through Canvas.
“I purchased most of my materials through Follett, so it will be applied to the bill I pay each semester,” Chicago sophomore Brooklyn Turner said. “I believe I paid for one or two textbooks through the bookstore using the ‘Pay Later’ feature via PayPal.”
Turner said not all her classes have required textbooks. When textbooks are recommended rather than required, she is less likely to purchase them, but she sometimes looks for cheaper ways to access the materials.
“For textbooks that aren’t required, I look up their ISBNs online,” Turner said. “There are many stores who take donated textbooks and resell them for a lower price. I’ve purchased recommended materials like that before.”
Plano freshman Annabelle McMullen said she also explored different options when purchasing her course materials. For one particularly expensive item, however, renting from the bookstore was her best option.
“I wound up renting the material from the bookstore because I couldn’t find a suitable alternative online,” McMullen said. “I went to a couple different websites; I think one was called Valore Books. The websites either didn’t have the edition I needed, or they were no cheaper than the bookstore.”
McMullen did not purchase all her books from the bookstore, though. She mentions her mass communication class did not have a required textbook, while her section of Christian Scriptures provided links to some of the material in Canvas.
For professors, providing accessible course materials can also mean finding alternatives to requiring students to buy a textbook.
Professor and Department Chair of Educational Leadership William L. Sterrett said he considers whether course materials will remain useful to students beyond the semester when selecting required texts.
“If students are required to buy a course text, I want it to be something they will use beyond the class,” Sterrett said.
Baylor professors can also use the university’s library system to reduce the materials students must purchase. Sterrett said course reserves and reserve specialists at Baylor libraries help professors curate reading lists that students can access through their Canvas course.
“For example, in a leadership course I’m teaching this fall, there are two books that I recommend,” Sterrett said. “Students who wouldn’t want to own the textbook themselves can access the text for the duration of the course through the Canvas shell based on different availabilities.”
Sterrett also considers how professors can leverage leaders in their respective fields. In Educational Leadership, for example, Sterrett often speaks with principals and superintendents and, with their permission, makes recordings of those interviews available to his class alongside relevant articles and videos.
“I feel students have an advantage here at Baylor to have the best tools at their fingertips,” Sterrett said.
If costs are an issue, Sterrett encourages students to ask whether purchasing the material is an investment they want to make and whether they want to keep the book beyond class. He also suggests students ask their professors whether textbooks are available through course reserves.
