Digital textbook codes can cost as much as print materials: New York Times
New research by the Student Public Interest Groups in the US has found that digital textbook codes can cost as much as traditional textbooks. In a study of 10 colleges and universities, the average access code, sometimes only found in printed textbooks, cost $100 and increased to $126 when offered with a traditional text. The rise of digital access codes may make it harder for usual cost-cutting alternatives, such as sharing, and could be prohibitive for some students. Professors will come under increasing pressure to match the curriculum with cloud-based or open source resources, thereby ensuring affordable access to required texts.

Dive Brief:

The New York Times reports on the growing costs associated with digital textbooks and learning materials, specifically access codes for tests and homework assignments.

A new survey of 10 colleges and universities shows the average access code, which sometimes are only found in purchased textbooks, costs $100 alone, increasing by only $26 when offered with a traditional text.

The average annual amount students spend on materials has declined by $100 since 2008, to about $602.

Dive Insight:

The real savings for learning materials are delivered by faculty, and their choice in using certain tests and responsive options offered by publishers with specific texts. These resources are commonly found in science and humanities core offerings that a majority of students must take for general requirements, but academic leaders can audit each of these courses to determine how to best pass savings on to students.

Considering that many states, and the federal government, are holding schools accountable for helping reduce total student costs, and recognizing the contemporary college bookstore model is changing under the new forms of technology, it makes sense for institutions to be more aggressive in challenging professors to match curriculum with cloud-based or open source resources for affordable learning access.