Online textbooks can drive down cost of education - Michael A. MacDowell, Times Leader

A consortium of foundations, including Leon Lowenstein, Bill and Melinda Gates, William and Flora Hewlett, Laura and John Arnold, Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics and others have joined with OpenStax College – and innovative arm of Rice University. OpenStax College is dedicated to producing high-quality, online textbooks for courses widely taught in college. The latest free college textbook from OpenStax College is the two-semester introductory course, “Principles of Economics.” OpenStax College also has published online introductory books for physics, sociology, biology, anatomy and physiology and statistics, and is working on books for pre-calculus, chemistry, U.S. history and psychology. College students and their parents know these courses oftentimes are required by the core curriculum at colleges and universities. All these books are fully peer-reviewed. Most of them have been written by outstanding authors, including some who previously authored standard printed textbooks. http://timesleader.com/news/otheropinion/1347948/COMMENTARY:-MICHAEL-A.-MACDOWELL-Online-textbooks-can-drive-down-cost-of-education