ABSTRACT
The expense of textbooks is a common source of frustration among students. Furthermore, the lack of affordable textbooks can inadvertently limit who studies computer science. One way educators and faculty can mitigate these issues is through adopting (and writing) free online textbooks. This panel discusses the benefits, challenges, and development practices of free online textbooks. The panelists, who have authored three widely used textbooks, characterize the role of free textbooks in CS education, describe their experiences writing a free textbook, and offer advice to faculty interested in incorporating them into their courses.
- Remzi H. Arpaci-Dusseau and Andrea C. Arpaci-Dusseau. 2018. Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces 1.00 ed.). Arpaci-Dusseau Books.Google Scholar
- Allen B. Downey and Chris Mayfield. 2020. Think Java: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist. Green Tea Press. Also published by O'Reilly Media.Google Scholar
- Suzanne J. Matthews, Tia Newhall, and Kevin Webb. 2020. Dive into Systems release candidate ed.). online. https://www.diveintosystems.org/Google Scholar
- Will Jarvis. 2019. A Textbook Giant Is Going 'Digital First.' That Might Not Be Good for Affordability. The Chronicle of Higher Education (July 2019).Google Scholar
Index Terms
- TextbooksForAll: Free Textbooks and Their Place in Computer Science Education
Recommendations
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