Thanks for sharing this article.
if traditional textbooks were replaced with free or low-cost “open-source” electronic versions
The "free or low-cost" factor seems to be a pretty big "if", as corporate profits may be realized in the near term from cost savings on printing/binding, and in the long term by charging increasing access fees.
One cost-saving solution for college students which was not mentioned in the article is purchasing USED textbooks. Textbook rentals are another possible solution. Books can also be shared. Books can be kept for hundreds of years, as they are not technology dependent.
As mentioned on a
recent thread, a textbook version may be less portable, yet books offer advantages such as stability of content, publication history (version, copyright date, ISBN), ability to thumb through, and no data tracking of readers.
Unfortunately, comparing different editions of books over time shows that some textbooks appear to be "dumbing down". Some may say that if books become obsolete and replaced with online content, there may be total filtering/censorship of information and an unaware citizenry.
Thinking long-term, offering published, printed, bound books and also online access to identical editions may present the best of both worlds.
