With more and more students opting not to purchase textbooks for class, Illinois College had to find a solution

In the face of mounting textbook costs that forced many students to attend classes without critical course
reading material, one college adopted a new model to ensure students were getting the maximum benefit out of their classes.

Illinois College officials knew that too many students came to class without purchasing the required course textbooks. Sometimes, as many as 50 percent of students did not have a textbook for class.

In some cases, students came from low-income families and did not have enough money to purchase textbooks after paying tuition fees. In others, courses required multiple textbooks, and students were only able to purchase one of the required texts.

For a number of years, faculty raised the concern that not all students could purchase course textbooks. The college started a fund to help students buy textbooks, but it wasn’t enough to meet the needs of all students, said Provost and Dean Liz Tobin.

“Our faculty were very concerned about this,” she said. “If students don’t have the books, they don’t do the readings. It also changes teaching. If you have 20 students in a class and seven don’t have the book, the professor changes his or her teaching method. The professor will spend more time trying to help students understand what was in the material instead of trying other innovative instructional methods. The teaching they do is much less engaged and much less student- centered, and we know from research that students learn less.”

The textbook industry’s need to thrive also contributed to the challenge.

“Not only are books expensive, but the book industry is being significantly pressed to survive, and one of the ways they’re surviving is by increasing the cost of books, and especially of textbooks,” Tobin said. “I have sympathy for the book industry, but the results are not so great for our students.”

Next page: A solution to the textbook challenge

As the college’s leaders contemplated their options to try and reduce textbook costs for students, Tobin
remembered a conference presentation given by another university leader, which focused around textbook costs and a solution from a company called Rafter360.

“When did books become an optional part of learning? Once we began to think about it that way, Rafter’s
solution became very attractive,” Tobin said.

Rafter360’s model helps colleges and universities incorporate textbook costs into tuition and fees. While
other textbook-purchasing models may have worked in theory by giving students and faculty a place to locate and purchase textbooks, those models still did not solve the original problem of students having to decide whether or not to purchase textbooks. Under Rafter360’s model, students receive all required course materials and textbooks at the beginning of each term.

The college rolled textbook costs into tuition the same way costs associated with athletic fields, libraries,
and classroom equipment are rolled into tuition.

“We had quite a bit of student pushback when we first announced this, but when we rolled it out last fall, all complaints went away,” she said. In fact, college leadership was quick to hold town hall meetings to
address students’ concerns and questions about the new model.

Tobin said she’s hopeful the model will result in better-prepared students who, as a result, demonstrate
higher achievement.

“We hope that the education we provide will be an experience that transcends any issues that students
brought with them to college,” she said. “…I think this model has the potential to really help students.”

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter: Innovations in K12 Education
By submitting your information, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Laura Ascione

Oops! We could not locate your form.

Sign up for our newsletter

Newsletter: Innovations in K12 Education
By submitting your information, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.