Research Article: “Are Private Universities Exempt from Student Concerns About Textbook Costs? A Survey of Students at American University”
The following article appears in the current issue of Open Praxis.
Title
Are Private Universities Exempt from Student Concerns About Textbook Costs? A Survey of Students at American University
Authors
Lindsay Renee Murphy
Portland State University
David Rose
American University
Source
Open Praxis
Vol. 10, No. 3 (2018)
DOI: 10.5944/openpraxis.10.3.866
Abstract
A survey conducted in the fall of 2015 at American University in Washington, DC shows that rising textbook prices similarly affect students at an expensive private university as those at community colleges and state schools. Research on high textbook costs that has demonstrated corollary unwanted behavior changes in students, including not purchasing the book, resorting to illegal online downloads, and poor study habits, were confirmed at American University as well. Solutions that have been proposed to this problem of prohibitive textbook prices, including Open Educational Resources (OER), could have an equally profound impact at American University, and potentially similar private universities, as has been demonstrated at less selective and more affordable counterparts.
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About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.