Here is a recent article about Daytona State College backing off a previous plan to go all digital textbooks. The decision comes after a report by the school that suggests students should have a choice whether to use a traditional textbook or an e-textbook.
Michelle McCraney, the project manager of a pilot program conducted by the school, where 1,250 students and 12 faculty participated in evaluating electronic and rental books, says “some students prefer to have a book, and some students prefer to have a computer to read their books and some students like to rent their books. Everybody learns differently and you have to be able to embrace that and let people choose.”
According to the article, the school’s study found that “the majority of students found the e-book to be an inconvenience and more time-consuming than flipping through a textbook because it was also challenging at times accessing the books.” The students also commented in the report the issues of the hidden costs of the e-book, such as a computer, online access, and printing.
The campus hopes to ease into transforming more e-textbook in the school by offering mentoring programs for faculty who are interested in using e-textbooks in their classes.
This story is very similar to the experience of California State University’s pilot program where the conclusion was about choice, affordability, and accessibility. CSU emphasizes heavily on education faculty and students about e-textbooks.
