By now anyone that is familiar with higher level education knows that textbook expenses are brutal for students on a budget. Students routinely pay up to $1000 a year for books. Flat World Knowledge, however, is looking to turn the publishing industry upside down by not only slashing the cost of textbooks, but also altering how textbooks are used in the classroom.

Flat World Knowledge, founded in 2007 by two textbook industry executives, is changing the name of the game when it comes to publishing by “offering books by leading experts, rigorously reviewed and developed to the highest standards completely free online.” Flat World Knowledge instead profits on low cost distribution by offering print-on-demand soft-cover textbooks, audio textbooks, and digital study aids for a fraction of the cost of a traditional textbook.

Perhaps the biggest change Flat World Knowledge seeks to make is in textbook usage. Traditionally the textbook has been a supplement to other course content. Flat World Knowledge instead makes the textbook a central hub for all learning. This is achieved by allowing instructors to edit the text right down to the very sentence. Professors can rearrange or eliminate chapters, supplement the material with their own examples and piggy back off of what other professors are doing in their own classroom. By having these features, professors can meet their own unique classroom requirements.

Students, on the other hand, can access the material whenever they want and in whatever manner they choose. Additionally, the student can harness the power of social learning by posting questions about course material to a learning center where the student can get an answer from any other student using the same material in the world, not just other students in their course. Flat World Knowledge describes this as “an online social learning platform that allows students to learn from each other as well as from the book.” This type of collaborative learning helps instructors create the all important teachable moment that is missing in many classes.

So what does this mean for you? While Flat World Knowledge won’t be the end solution to rising higher education costs, it does prove that there are people working hard to innovate and change the current system. It’s up to us as educators to utilize these collaborative tools so that students not only have a better chance at affording education, but will also be exposed to the kind of positive learning environment that we strive to have in our universities.