Text Books: eBooks or Print

Electronic books or Ebooks are becoming more and more common in colleges. In this research, the student book buying patterns are studied at a public engineering institution. Ebooks are becoming more and more common. Based on a research survey, we analyze whether students prefer ebooks or print editions. Comparisons are done across disciplines, level of the student (freshman to graduate), whether the student owns a laptop / desktop / tablet, student work commitments, financial needs, and age; among other factors. Some professors give the option of using the ebooks, while others do not. Students may or may not know about the availability of ebooks for their courses and this may impact their decision to choose either option. Students may make decisions to purchase ebooks or print edition based on cost, readability, availability, and ability to take notes, impact on the environment, ease of use, logistics and the level of the usage of the book in a given course. Students also take into account the resale value of the book at the end of the semester. These and other factors that lead to the student choice are studied. The goal of this study is to understand student book buying behaviors. Authors hope that both students and faculty members can be made aware of the various text book options available so they can make the best choices given the individual circumstances. Introduction and Background The study on Text Books: ebooks vs. print is conducted by the Research Learning Community (RLC) a component of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Southern Polytechnic State University. Members are faculty and staff involved with instruction from diverse disciplines ranging from engineering to arts, law, and sciences among others. Members are interested and involved with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). RLC meetings are held on a monthly basis where topics of interest and discussions regarding ongoing research projects occur. The topic of ebooks evolved during meetings of the RLC. For the purpose of this study terminology clarification of an ebook is “An electronic book (variations: e-book, eBook, e-Book, ebook, digital book, or even e-edition) is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on computers or other electronic devices” [1]. As part of this study, various textbook options were explored that were available and student book buying patterns were studied. Ebooks emerged as a relatively new aspect of course support material that brought new opportunities, concerns and questions regarding their use. As discussions continued, ebook was deemed a viable topic that could have specific data collected and a formal study Page 24183.2 conducted to analyze whether students prefer ebooks or print editions. A subcommittee was established for this project. The topic of ebooks vs. print stems in part from concerns over the costs associated with higher education including administrative mandates requesting reviews of retention, academic achievement and expenses associated with courses. Everyone agrees textbooks are a major investment for college students. Maintaining affordable, current and portable textbooks is a challenge. Technological advances occur rapidly and accessibility to the most current and relevant textbooks is desired. The emergence of ebooks, allows updates along with other aspects such as ease of use, interaction and accessibility; and options regarding fees and associated costs. Types of electronic devices, preferences of instructors and students are also considerations and rationales for use. A survey via an academic research/study provides a framework for evaluation and a way to look at the big picture as well as small details that together provide data regarding the pattern of preference and use of ebooks at the university. Just as the RLC group had varying opinions regarding ebooks vs. print, it was deemed essential to gather opinions from the ones who use ebooks... the students. Their perspectives and rationale for selecting ebooks over print are essential and so the question to begin the research project was: Do students consider ebooks a viable option? The subcommittee took the lead to devise an online survey to gather data. By using a survey tool in Google, students could respond directly and the data could be tabulated automatically. A survey was created then presented at a monthly meeting for review. Several changes were suggested and then the questions were put online for additional comments from RLC members. Initially deciding on a format was key and selecting a survey format similar to previous surveys conducted by the RLC proved to be effective. The main challenge was the intent of the questions. Some were open to interpretation and were not clear. Subcommittee members responded to several versions of the questions and format via email. Phrasing was adjusted and reviewed and finally a format and set of questions was ready to post. Once the questionnaire was formalized and placed in Google Docs the link was shared with all RLC members who solicited participation from their students. Every RLC member was charged to get the word out to their classes so a wide range of students from varying disciplines could participate. In some classes it became a required assignment, others incorporated the survey into in-class activity since students had access to internet via cell phones and computers. In other courses professor incentives encouraged student participation in the brief and easy to access survey. Review of Literature More students use portable electronic devices to take lecture notes in class rather than hand write. As Buckley and Johnson [2] mention, “more students and faculty [are] using portable P ge 24183.3 electronic devices, and ebook databases now provide more downloading capabilities.” However, students still prefer print versions of textbooks although ebooks are usually cheaper to purchase. Kolowich [3] states, “e-textbooks show signs of finally gaining traction, although they still account for a smaller share of all textbook purchases than any method of acquiring a print textbook.” Most e-textbook purchases by students are because of professor mandates. Advantages of e-textbooks are the digital enhancements and interactive weblinks provided by publishers within the e-textbook. Publishers include practice quizzes, flashcards, find options, table of content links, and other resources for content reinforcement whereas the common textbook is not interactive. Rebora [4] suggests that “e-book publishers are increasingly trying to make their products look and function more like printed books, even as efforts to add cuttingedge interactive enhancements to digital books have seemingly foundered.” Another advantage for e-textbooks is that a large number of books can fit into a single Portable Electronic Device (PED). A student only needs to carry the PED to classes and not twenty pounds of different textbooks. An advantage for a professor is that the e-textbook can also be shown from the computer and overhead projector to the entire class helping with in-class discussion and student engagement. Some universities are piloting studies with e-books and are negotiating discounts with publishing companies. This aides in keeping costs down for students and guarantees sales for publishers. There are always the disadvantages of e-textbooks: expiring codes that disallow students to access the e-textbook in the future whereas once a printed version is purchased, one perpetually owns it; and the technological issues that arise with navigating the e-text. “Though some students easily navigated e-text interfaces and fully utilized digital tools, others struggled with basic e-text functionality like creating a user account, entering access codes, locating readings, creating bookmarks, using highlighting tools, and writing notes” [5]. Now professors must teach and guide their students through technology-supported systems and e-textbooks issues. Many technology savvy students adopt ebooks without any involvement of the instructor. Several searches were conducted by RLC members during the process. Some looked at online surveys in general, others for specific data available on the topic. Journal articles, abstracts and conference proceedings, were studied.