The Big Bookboon Textbook Survey > ~60% of Students Prefer Digital Textbooks

Message from plebar@allegheny.edu

Gerry, I was surprised at the 58% figure (U.S. students who prefer digital over printed textbooks) - most of the surveys I've seen show increasing acceptance but still way under 50%. Then I followed the link and found that the survey was apparently sponsored by Bookboon, a company in the business of distributing e-textbooks. I'm all in favor of the open source movement and similar initiatives such as Bookboon, but is it possible the questions were phrased in such a way as to predispose the respondents to favor digital?

Pete, I suspect that the number of students that favor eTexts over hardcopy is still (and maybe well) below 50%. Firts, publiishers still charge too much for them, so that cost savings are marginal (at leats in the sciences. Second, they are not supported by tablet apps yet in a meaningful way. Third, most students probably find annotating and highlighting a hard copy book easier than an eText. I could keep going, but the most important reason is that even using the most versatile of eBook reading platforms, most instructors need training to use them in effective engaging ways. You mentioned open source books. That can be a different issue entirely. Most are meant to be cheap or free, and many will never see the light of day as paper. In that case, instructors should rely more than ever on using the text in pedagogically effective ways that engage students with text content. I am experimenting doing so this semester in my biology course where the eText is the required version, and where there are assignments worth a part of the final grade that can only be accessed in the eText. I'll know more about eText acceptance (at least in my course) at the end of the semester. Gerry Gerald Bergtrom, Ph.D. Professor of Biological Sciences (Emeritus) & Instructional Design Consultant Learning Technology Center Golda Meier Library E175 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee P.O. Box 604 Milwaukee, WI 53201-0604 www.LTC.uwm.edu 414 229-4319 (office) 414 229-6758 (fax) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter LeBar" To: ETEXTS@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 2:13:04 PM Subject: Re: [ETEXTS] The Big Bookboon Textbook Survey > ~60% of Students Prefer Digital Textbooks Gerry, I was surprised at the 58% figure (U.S. students who prefer digital over printed textbooks) - most of the surveys I've seen show increasing acceptance but still way under 50%. Then I followed the link and found that the survey was apparently sponsored by Bookboon, a company in the business of distributing e-textbooks. I'm all in favor of the open source movement and similar initiatives such as Bookboon, but is it possible the questions were phrased in such a way as to predispose the respondents to favor digital? Pete LeBar Allegheny College Bookstore plebar@allegheny.edu

Re: [ETEXTS] The Big Bookboon Textbook Survey > ~60% of Students Prefer Digital Textbooks Our experience at AcademicPub would support that, given the choice, a majority of students still prefer the physical books, for all the reasons that Gerry so eloquently states. We have innumerable cases as well of students who purchase the eBook at the start of the term and inevitably return to us mid-term to pick up a physical copy.


On 9/14/12 4:49 PM, "Gerald K Bergtrom" <bergtrom@UWM.EDU> wrote:

Pete,

I suspect that the number of students that favor eTexts over hardcopy is still (and maybe well) below 50%.  Firts, publiishers still charge too much for them, so that cost savings are marginal (at leats in the sciences.  Second, they are not supported by tablet apps yet in a meaningful way.  Third, most students probably find annotating and highlighting a hard copy book easier than an eText.  I could keep going, but the most important reason is that even using the most versatile of eBook reading platforms, most instructors need training to use them in effective engaging ways.

You mentioned open source books.  That can be a different issue entirely.  Most are meant to be cheap or free, and many will never see the light of day as paper.  In that case, instructors should rely more than ever on using the text in pedagogically effective ways that engage students with text content.  I am experimenting doing so this semester in my biology course where the eText is the required version, and where there are assignments worth a part of the final grade that can only be accessed in the eText.  I'll know more about eText acceptance (at least in my course) at the end of the semester.

Gerry




Gerald Bergtrom, Ph.D.
Professor of Biological Sciences (Emeritus) &
Instructional Design Consultant
Learning Technology Center
Golda Meier Library E175
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
P.O. Box 604
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0604
www.LTC.uwm.edu
414 229-4319 (office)
414 229-6758 (fax)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter LeBar" <plebar@ALLEGHENY.EDU>
To: ETEXTS@LISTSERV.EDUCAUSE.EDU
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 2:13:04 PM
Subject: Re: [ETEXTS] The Big Bookboon Textbook Survey > ~60% of Students Prefer Digital Textbooks

Gerry, I was surprised at the 58% figure (U.S. students who prefer digital over printed textbooks) - most of the surveys I've seen show increasing acceptance but still way under 50%. Then I followed the link and found that the survey was apparently sponsored by Bookboon, a company in the business of distributing e-textbooks. I'm all in favor of the open source movement and similar initiatives such as Bookboon, but is it possible the questions were phrased in such a way as to predispose the respondents to favor digital?


Pete LeBar
Allegheny College Bookstore
plebar@allegheny.edu