How to Make Good Affordable Textbooks

When the federal government micromanages your operations you know you have a problem. The recently passed Higher Education Act mandates the provision of the ISBNs of required textbooks when students register for courses. This is micromanaging and colleges and universities have a problem. The symptom of the problem is the high cost of textbooks. The real problem is that universities are losing an opportunity to remake the way in which supplemental course materials, including textbooks, are developed, distributed, and used. As a result we are missing a chance to make the learning experience better and cheaper.