Offering free online textbooks for students to use in classes is becoming popular at a number of universities, and the trend could help students save thousands of dollars over the course of their college career.

Full-time students spent an average of $898 on books and supplies per year at four-year public institutions, according to a 2005 study by the Government Accountability Office.

That amounted to 26 percent of their total spending on tuition and fees. And students aren’t happy about it.

Erin Leach, a sophomore, spent $350 on textbooks this quarter.

“I think that textbooks are way overpriced,” Leach said. “It is a shame, for such a short-term investment, to dent students’ wallets so much.”

Sophomore Sarah Hahn agrees. The biology major spent $450 on textbooks this quarter, and she is irritated that many of them will barely be opened before Thanksgiving break.

“It is especially frustrating to me that professors will require a book or a couple of books and then you will hardly use [them],” Hahn said.

One DU professor is actively working to reduce those costs.

Don McCubbrey, clinical professor in the Daniels College of Business, is a co-project leader for a plan to supply online textbooks.

The Global Text Project is an attempt to provide free, editorially-reviewed, online textbooks to university students in developing countries.

By placing the content on the Internet, however, McCubbrey is also making it available for students here.

“Anybody can download it or use it,” he said.

Online access to academic work also provides the most current information, which is a significant benefit, said McCubbrey.

He sees access to free textbooks online becoming a trend in the near future. “I think that the publishing model will change the same way that the business model for music changed when Apple came out with iTunes,” he said.

“If you can get the content on the Internet, then you can distribute it anyplace at all…”

Some professors are already latching on to the idea.

Lynn Schofield Clark, assistant professor in mass communications, is one.

“In certain courses, it’s important to have the most up-to-date information possible.B In this area, online textbooks hold a significant advantage over bound books because information can be updated and made available instantaneously.” she said.

Many students say they would be glad for a professor to offer an online textbook.

“I would be very excited, and it would save me so much money that I really need,” said Hahn.

Bart Gottula, a senior, said he would likely choose a class that had no textbook requirements or free versions over other classes.

“I would [also] be more inclined to attend every class session and have more confidence in the

professor’s teaching ability,” he said.

Students do see some drawbacks to online versions, however.

While Sam Stewart, a senior, said she likes the idea, she still prefers having a hard copy in her hands. “Ideally I prefer to have physical books rather than online resources because they are easier to access and use,” she said.

Others say having a book in front of them also motivates them to actually read.

While students are still split, the Colorado government has helped out by passing a textbook affordability law. It requires that all publishers disclose when a new edition is being released and what information in the textbook has been revised, among a handful of other requirements.

This allows faculty to determine whether or not it is necessary to require students to purchase a new book versus a used one.

However, the law applies only to public institutions.

Many students looking to save money currently go online to buy their textbooks, from sites like amazon.com.

Gottula’s advice to students is to go online. He typically spends less than $100 each quarter on books.

“If someone has a little patience, he or she can save a ton of money

by shopping online,” he said.