Professor Zhao has found an innovative solution to the high cost of college books—using free online textbooks. Zhao is among the first professors nationwide to adopt and advocate the idea of Open Textbooks.
Students in Zhao’s Organizational Behavior class can access course texts online for free or buy a print-on-demand soft cover version in black and white ($30) or color ($60) from new open textbook publisher Flat World Knowledge, where Zhao’s former student, John Britton ’09, is Lead Developer. “Book prices are skyrocketing, students are reluctant to buy, and publishers announce new editions every two years or so. As a business professor, I am amazed by this new open book model because it is a perfect example of how entrepreneurship can create solutions to a known market problem,” said Zhao, “I am proud to help students and their parents cut some expenses in this tough economy.”
Zhao notes that previously, only about 30% of his students would purchase a $100-plus textbook. However, during the fall 2009 semester, when the new $30 book was first adopted, the number of students purchasing the book rose to nearly 80%, while the remaining 20% chose to view chapters online for free. Zhao expects open-source textbooks to become the mainstream model in the next decade.
Starting with the spring 2010 semester, Zhao has offered one free book to each section of his course. Students threw paper airplanes and the one closest to the book won it. Bay Phillips ’11, was the happy winner in MGMT 4850-Organizational Behavior.
