Whereas, The high cost of textbooks is a barrier to student access, retention, and success, and the expense of textbooks often forces students to sacrifice academic time for work hours;
Whereas, Electronic web-based material is often less expensive than a printed text and may be of greater educational value because of its interactive and multimedia nature, and is sometimes paid for through licensing fees rather than purchased like a textbook;
Whereas, The continuing and tangible value of web-based materials is provided to the students in the form of instructor-provided materials as well as printouts, student notes, assignments, portfolios, and other coursework; and
Whereas, Faculty are hired for their content expertise and individual instructors should be allowed to choose the educational resources that best suit their course and teaching methods;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges support the academic freedom of instructors to choose the required educational resources for which students must pay, including textbooks, permanent electronic media (e.g. CD's), and temporarily licensed electronic media (e.g. web-based content); and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges work with the Student Senate for California Community Colleges to explore pragmatic solutions that would lower overall costs to students of educational resources (license fees, electronic media, and textbooks) needed for a class.
MSC Disposition: Student Senate for California Community Colleges, Local Senates