Open Source Textbooks, Yes Please

[James54321]

You know what pissed me off when I was in college? We never even used half the books we were told to buy.

Schools can rearrange the contents of the books to suit their needs and requirements...

While the article was primarily focusing on K-12 materials, I think this model would apply well for colleges that aren't necessarily established in their curriculum or use multiple professors to teach the same subject (e.g., Community Colleges and Online Universities). A lot of the adjunct professors tend to cut, rearrange and tailor curriculum in a way they feel will best serve their educational goals for that class. The fact that a publisher can update a blurb or two and slap a new edition on to it is absolutely rediculous and needs to stop. I once had faith that eBooks would be mean cheaper; unfortunately that dream quickly faded as I was charged $95 for an online Biology eBook. So, depsite the potential hurdles (especially on the college level regarding accredidation) I say bring on the "open-source" books in the hopes that it will improve quality and value of education.