A sustainable future for open textbooks? The Flat World Knowledge story

Authors

  • John L. Hilton III Brigham Young University
  • David A. Wiley Brigham Young University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v15i8.2800

Keywords:

Open educational resources, open textbooks, electronic textbooks, Flat World Knowledge, open access, sustainability

Abstract

Many college students and their families are concerned about the high costs of textbooks. Ebooks have been proposed as one potential solution, open-source textbooks have also been explored. A company called Flat World Knowledge produces and gives away open-source textbooks in a way they believe to be financially sustainable. This article reports an initial study of the financial sustainability of the Flat World Knowledge open-source textbook model.

Author Biographies

John L. Hilton III, Brigham Young University

Doctoral student, Instructional Psychology and Technology

David A. Wiley, Brigham Young University

Associate Professor of Instructional Psychology and Technology at Brigham Young University and Chief Openness Officer of Flat World Knowledge.

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Published

2010-07-14

How to Cite

Hilton III, J. L., & Wiley, D. A. (2010). A sustainable future for open textbooks? The Flat World Knowledge story. First Monday, 15(8). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v15i8.2800