Traditional Texts preferred over E-Books
Survey: Most Students Prefer Traditional Texts over E-Books
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)