3 ms·

Could you enumerate the reasons? I'd like to know why "open books" hasn't taken off.

• shantanubala 16y ago
  As a high school student, here's what I've found: Most students in public school systems don't actually pay for books, so the students couldn't really care less about who makes the books they use let alone the licensing, cost, etc. Parents aren't aware enough to demand it of their school systems. Teachers are extremely skeptical of wiki-style operations from the start, even if there is solid editing. Marketing open-source textbooks is difficult since it doesn't necessarily generate a whole lot of revenue. Organizations, especially schools, buy stuff that's marketed to them. Most curricula (especially International Baccalaureate/Advanced Placement) is designed with specific topics in mind. Since there aren't as many open books, there isn't as much selection. Books sometimes miss important topics. Even though teachers aren't allowed to photocopy regular textbooks, they do. Who's going to file a lawsuit? There's more, but these aren't necessarily drawbacks to open books, but reasons why they're not really being considered as much.