Is Site-Licensing the Solution for Over-Priced Textbooks?

I've become very sensitive to the rising cost of textbooks. Students have expressed frustration at shelling out a minimum of $100 for their textbooks, with some courses requiring well over $200 worth of books. While the Kindle and the Apple iPad may provide alternatives to traditional paper textbooks, many students can't afford the $500 cost of these devices, and there's no guarantee that books for their specific classes will be available for either device.

Here's an innovative approach to solving this problem NC State University. I have no doubt that my students would love this option.

North Carolina State U. Gives Students Free Access to Physics Textbook Online

Physics students at North Carolina State University can get their introductory-level textbooks for free thanks to a new program by the college.

Each year about 1,300 students at North Carolina State take Physics 211 and Physics 212. Beginning this semester, the university's libraries and physics department have offered the courses' textbook online for free. Students can also print pages of the text or buy a printed copy at the university's bookstore for about $45.

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North Carolina State University Libraries paid about $1,500 to purchase the site license for the textbook, published by Physics Curriculum & Instruction.