The Trouble with eBooks and Digital Reading
Nov 9, 2018Jenna A. RobinsonJenna A. Robinson
The cost of college textbooks has increased at an alarming rate. According to the College Board, the average student spends more than $1,200 on books and materials each year. The proposed solution—advocated by universities and reformers alike—is a switch to eBooks and online course materials. But new evidence suggests that we should consider that switch carefully before embracing a wholesale conversion from print to digital materials.
Textbook prices certainly warrant academia’s clamor for change. From 1978 to 2013, the price of college textbooks increased more than 800 percent—faster than medical care (588 percent), new home prices (375 percent), and the CPI itself (257 percent). According to a study by the Student Public Interest Research Group (Student PIRGs), the cost of textbooks is now roughly 39 percent of tuition and fees at a community college and 14 percent at a four-year public institution. The cost of textbooks contributes significantly to students’ total education bill.
https://www.jamesgmartin.center/2018/11/the-trouble-with-ebooks-and-digital-reading/
