Delta College students come from all different walks of life but one challenge many can agree on is that the cost of textbooks puts a financial strain on their budget.
In some cases, the cost of required materials directly affects ability to succeed in class. As more professors steer away from traditional textbooks and implement Open Educational Resources (OERs), free or low cost alternatives, students have one less obstacle.
Textbook price and availability are the two most common complaints heard in the bookstore.
According to Textbook Specialist Matthew De La Torre, students nurse a grievance toward the price of textbooks. “Some books are hundreds of dollars… I’ve seen single books go for $250 to $300 so students go for the cheapest option when available like rentals or ebooks,” said De La Torre.
One of the biggest problems traditional textbooks pose is that the cost forces students to choose between buying books or covering other expenses.
For students that work to pay for their expenses, the cost of required material can add up quickly. Student Kaleb De La Cruz spends on average $250 a semester on required class materials. “It sucks but it is the price of education… but OER’s would alleviate the financial burden of books,” he said.
Bookstore Staff Member Kayla Mills said one of the strongest criticism she hears at work regarding textbooks is about availability.
“Not every professor sends in their book list on time so there was a lot of books we didn’t have in stock and students were very upset they couldn’t get it by the time they needed it …that happens a lot,” said Mills.
Not being able to access material because of the bookstore’s limited resources or the students’ limited financial resources can often lead to students quickly falling behind.
De La Cruz noted an event of a classmate falling behind in his computer science course because the classmate wasn’t able to afford and access the required material for nearly four weeks, which set the classmate a month behind. “Now he has to work twice as hard to play catch up,” said De La Cruz.
More instructors are implementing free or low cost alternatives in their curriculum, which is leveling the playing field for students.“The last few semesters we have had more professors say they are giving students free access to the books,” said Mills.
Furthermore, when picking classes in MyDelta course scheduler students are able to see what classes offer zero-cost or low-cost textbooks. This feature assists students in making the choice of which class best suits their needs.
An increasing number of instructors at Delta College are making the switch from traditional textbooks to offering free and low-cost reading and learning material to their students. Instead of unintentionally leaving the students with no ability to purchase materials behind, these professors are putting their students on equal ground in the classroom.
Widespread adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER’s) is one small step toward equity in education and one giant leap for making higher education accessible to all, regardless of financial background and standing.
