Cost an ugly font with paper textbooks finds EDUCAUSE

WASHINGTON, USA: Cost is the primary motivation for moving from paper textbooks to digital versions, according to a new report by the EDUCAUSE Center For Analysis and Research (ECAR), based on the Fall 2012 EDUCAUSE-Internet2 E-textbook pilot.

The pilot demonstrates that faculty and students overwhelmingly believe today's course materials are too expensive and both want those costs lowered. They also consider the environment in their cost calculations. They expect course materials to be available on electronic devices. Their requirements are shaped by their experiences as consumers at least as much as by their experiences using institutional applications.

"This study demonstrates that institutions and the marketplace must first remove barriers that exist even in today's paper textbook market, most notably cost," said Susan Grajek, EDUCAUSE vice president for data, research, and analytics and report author. "Challenges innate to electronic content must also be addressed, including availability of materials where and when students need them, compatibility with the devices students own and prefer to use, and the kind of functionality that comes from good interface design. The solutions will come from many sources, but through this study students and faculty have clarified their needs."

"The textbook and digital content marketplace is going through a transformation and the findings are consistent with our engagement with the leading e-content providers." said Shelton Waggener, Internet2 senior vice president. "The pilot shows that campuses and providers must work together to address the fundamental differences in use of these new models, and must cooperate to support greater adoption and utilization of digital technologies critical to advance teaching and learning, and make these important resources affordable to students and families."

Twenty-three colleges and universities collaborated in the Fall with Internet2, EDUCAUSE, the publisher McGraw-Hill Education, and the e-textbook platform provider Courseload to deliver digital textbooks to more than 5,000 students and faculty in 393 undergraduate and graduate courses with a median class size of 28.

Besides cost, faculty and students were both clear and consistent in their criteria for moving to digital course materials: address the basics, and then tackle availability, portability, functionality and innovation.