Survey: Most Students Prefer Traditional Texts over E-Books

http://campustechnology.com/articles/2015/09/01/survey-most-students-prefer-traditional-texts-over-ebooks.aspx

Reasons commonly cited by students for preferring traditional books include:

• They are easier to read;
• Students like to physically highlight selections;
• They’re cheaper;
• Students prefer the formatting;
• They’re easier to navigate and bookmark;
• E-books make students’ eyes hurt;
• Students find it harder to concentrate on e-books;
• Traditional books do not require Internet access;
• Students like to write on the pages;
• Tablets or laptops are not allowed in class;
• Availability of e-books is limited; and
• Students end up printing the pages of e-books anyway.

Among the 27 percent of respondents who do prefer e-books, common reasons for the preference include:

• E-books are cheaper;
• They are lighter;
• They don’t have to be returned;
• They are more environmentally friendly than paper books;
• They are searchable;
• Print size and brightness is adjustable;
• They can convert text to audio; and
• They can be used with apps.

MN E-Summit 2015 had two speakers on the e-book topic:

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/2015/07/29/mn-esummit-2015/

The Balancing Act: Team-Creating an eBook as an Alternative Method for Content Delivery Tom Nechodomu, University of Minnesota

David Wiley. Making Teaching and Learning Awesome with Open: MN Learning Commons

David sited same stats as in this article:

“According to the Student Monitor, 87 percent of textbooks purchased by students in 2014 were print editions (36 percent new, 36 percent used, 15 percent rented). E-books comprised only 9 percent of the market. The remaining 4 percent was made up by file sharing.”

but puts the stress on e-books as an option to cut the greedy publishing houses and bring down the cost (MN Learning Commons)