Free Curricula Center

Steve,

I think that this is a highly commendable effort that is long overdue. What a great service that you will provide to both faculty and (especially) students. Over the years, I have grown frustrated at the soaring cost of textbooks (according to an article in my local paper this morning, the price has nearly tripled since 1986).

Last year, I was stunned to discover that the paperback instructional design text that I was considering would have cost my students $92.00 (I had paid about $30.00 some years earlier). I ended up adopting another text that cost $29.00 (not easy to find). Since my discipline (instructional technology) undergoes frequent change, it is difficult to find good up-to-date texts. The other source of frustration for me is that many of my colleagues author textbooks and receive a TINY share of royalties from each sale. Faculty who write textbooks are definitely not receiving the benefit of the cost hikes (no J.K. Rawlings here).

Kudos to you, Steve--I am very supportive of your efforts and would be willing to help spread the word. You can bet that I will be steering my students (and colleagues) to the Curricula Center.