E-Books: Revolutionizing Higher Education

By Tabitha B.

From the hallowed halls of Yale University to the small dorm rooms of private, younger universities, higher education has made its way to provide training, knowledge, and information to millions of students: but with any education comes its price tag, and that is where both universities and students alike could benefit from cutting back costs.

One of the main avenues in which costs could easily be slashed is the price of books for students. According to the National Association of College Stores1, students across the U.S. spend an average of $702 for books alone in one year. If the student then happens to complete his or her four years of higher education, the cost of books skyrockets to $2,808 over the course of those studies: a number which could easily be reduced by alternative methods of book payment besides buying directly from the college the students are attending.

There are two other options for a student looking to reduce the costs of their books: online purchase from national retailing stores or trading markets (such as the ever-popular Amazon or Ebay), or e-books, directly purchased and downloaded to the student's computer. Although only 26% of students purchased books from online retailers2, the concept of e-books presents a different approach to book purchasing online, since there is no lag time between the time of purchase and the book arriving at the student's fingertips. This reduces both the pressure and the effort of purchasing as well, and gives the student time to focus on his or her homework assignments and college life rather than on the difficulty of searching for affordable books online or in college stores.

With this single advantage in mind alone, e-books should be considered closely as a easily-available concept which could, potentially, revolutionize higher education---but e-books usage and assistance to improving the college experience don't halt at their accessibility. The cost of e-books could potentially be up to 85% cheaper then the traditional route of purchasing hardbound books from college stores, shown by a recent program conducted by The University of Wisconsin3 to sell students e-textbooks at the reduced rate of $15 from the traditional $100 average book purchase.

With the advantage of both instant accessibility and dramatically reduced costs, e-books are an attractive alternative for college students, and should begin to be introduced to universities as soon as possible. Not only would the students benefit, but the colleges would as well, with more students applying due to the decrease of overall costs4. Professors would also be providing their students with instant class materials at the click of a button, reducing the amount of time it would take for a report to be drawn up or a course to be completed, due to the easier accessibility of a e-book right on the students' computers. "It doesn't matter where you are on campus, you can always get to a computer, and your book is always there," said Erin Benson, a sophomore at the University of North Carolina. "You don't have to carry a book around all the time, and it seems fun and interactive," she said.5

Now, with more than 220 colleges offering e-books to their students6 in 2001 alone, it's obvious that the possibility of e-books is practical and even productive. Universities should take advantage of everything e-textbooks have to offer and provide them to their students, whether it is at a traditional brick-and-mortar college or an online teaching program.