Advice


A suggestion I would make to improve Baruch college would be to use open source textbooks. This would greatly benefit the students of the school especially since textbooks are costly, multiple textbooks have to be bought for every class at a cost of about $80 each or more. These textbooks are most likely not going to be used again by the student and are continuously being updated, leaving older versions to become outdated. By using open source textbooks, professors would assemble parts of the textbook, compiling materials from a wide variety of sources that can be edited and updated immediately. This would allow for collaboration of a team to put all information within in. Doing this would drop the cost of textbooks for students to zero and the money that is saved from this can be used for other purposes within the school. 

Comments

  1. Eva NashtatikNovember 18, 2019 at 10:06 AM

    Hi Giselle,
    I find your suggestion very useful for students of Baruch College. We all know how expensive textbooks can be every semester, and they add up. Open source textbooks would make it more efficient for students and professors to get through semesters, as students sometimes even opt out of getting books to avoid fees. This puts a strain on how much the student benefits from the class, which ultimately is not good for either pupil or instructor. It also keeps information up to date and relevant, as professors can make adjustments throughout the semester. While this suggestion might not be applicable to all classes, as with science courses professors tend to need the standard, well-developed textbooks to teach. However, open source textbooks can be applied to classes that could benefit from up-to-date articles.

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  2. Wenny Ng LiuDecember 8, 2019 at 12:53 AM

    Hello Gisele,
    I like the idea that you presented. I completely agree that the cost of these textbooks every semester that will only be used for 3 months is absolutely absurd as the prices can run into the hundreds. It is even worse when we have to purchase the textbook and the access code solely to complete the online homework but will never touch the textbook ever. Even though the professor may say that we can rent or purchase an older version of the textbook, it may not be the greatest resource in the case that the information was revised for the new year. If your idea was implemented, it would definitely cut down on the cost of textbooks especially for students and it would be beneficial to everyone and more for those who do not get financial aid.

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