Digital
course materials was among the hot topics—if not the hottest topic—for campus
bookstore attendees at the 2016 Campus Market Expo (CAMEX) in Houston, TX.
(Produced by NACS, CAMEX opened last Friday, March 4, and continues through March
8.)
For campus
stores, “digital” covers the gamut: PDFs, e-books, electronic coursepacks,
access codes, online labs, content delivered through the school’s learning
management system, adaptive learning products, and more. Nearly all stores sell
the access codes if their faculty have chosen those materials for their
classes, but it’s a mixed bag for other forms of digital materials.
While some
stores said they’re experimenting with the course-fee model for selected
classes—which enables stores to negotiate a much lower cost for digital
materials with publishers in exchange for 100% sell-through in the class—others
said they are running into some roadblocks. Among the hurdles to more
widespread adoption of digital course materials are:
Many
textbook titles aren’t available in digital format, especially older titles. Publishers
are reluctant to invest in converting backlist titles that only a few faculty
are still using, preferring to put money into developing new materials that can
incorporate the best features of digital technology.
Providers
of digital works are not fully compatible with all of the major point-of-sale
(POS) systems used by campus stores, hampering stores’ ability to sell and
distribute digital materials to students. Most providers are working with
publishers and POS manufacturers to resolve this, but it’s taking time.
Many
faculty and students are still not entirely comfortable using solely digital materials.
A growing number of students prefer to have both print and digital forms of the
same textbook, so that they can easily study in their dorm or home from the
print but access the digital in class on their laptop. Students will buy or
rent just the digital if it’s cheaper than other options. Faculty are more
willing to try digital materials if they see students will save money.
Digital is
not always cheaper to produce than print. In addition, for many textbooks, the
cost to rent a print copy for the term is less than the digital option.
Some
digital materials must be acquired directly from the publisher, creating
problems for students on financial aid or who don’t have credit cards.
