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U. of California, Berkeley adopts e-textbooks

(The Daily Californian) In an attempt to cutback on textbook costs for students, UC Berkeley will subsidize the cost of e-textbooks for several courses this coming fall. Eight faculty members have agreed to participate in a pilot program, which will use electronic textbooks provided by the McGraw-Hill publishing company to teach their courses. The pilot program is expected to cost the university anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000, depending on the number of courses that use the virtual textbooks. UC Berkeley is one of several American universities--including University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, University of Virginia, Indiana University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Cornell University--who plan to adopt e-textbooks on their campuses. At UC Berkeley, students in courses using e-textbooks who wish to use traditional textbooks will have the option to rent or buy books separately.

1.

What do iBooks mean for the e-textbook industry?

ZDNet
Christopher Dawson with ZDNet Education questions what last weeks Apple announcements--the release of the iBooks Author and iBooks 2--will mean for the e-textbook industry. He argues that while the new apps themselves won't leave a lasting impression, proving to be unsatisfactory (by some) for generating education content, the release has served as a catalyst in stirring up e-book discussion.

2.

Survey: Global student e-book survey, sponsored by ebrary

ebrary
A 2008 study surveying 6,492 university students from more than 12,000 worldwide institutions--half of which were located in North America--was conducted to examine students' perceptions and needs regarding e-books. Nearly half of the students who participated in the study (49 per cent) reported never using e-books. Of those who reported never using e-books, 45 per cent (1,420 students) stated that they preferred to use printed, hard copy books. Regarding academic information resources, 81 per cent of those who answered (2,593 students) used Google (and other search engines) for research and class assignments.

3.

iPad, I saw, I waited: The State of E-textbooks

Wired.com
Eric Blattberg with Wired.com, a daily technology news website, writes that the cost of e-textbooks is simply too high for students. While in an age of technology, ever prevalent on university campuses, e-textbook sales will account for just over 11 per cent of higher education and career-related textbook sales in the next two years (according to Simba Information). Most e-books are protected with copyright and anti-share restrictions, which prevent students from sharing with their peers, (perhaps) making used hard cover books a more financially feasible option for students. 

4.

Northwest Missouri State University: A campus-wide e-textbook initiative

EDUCAUSE Quarterly
A 2009 article published on EDUCAUSE Quarterly, an online journal that focuses on utilizing information resources in higher education, examines the implementation of e-book readers on the Northwest Missouri State University campus. During the campus' pilot program, focus groups were employed to help determine the feasibility of employing e-book readers and e-textbooks on campus. Most notably, the study found that students spend up to $1,000 a year on textbooks, and many students refrain from purchasing textbooks because of such high costs. Furthermore, unlike other contrasting sources, the study found that e-textbooks can cost up to 50 per cent less than standard textbooks, although some e-textbooks have a limited subscription (i.e. 180 days). 

5.

Tablet ownership doubles over the 2011 holiday season

Globe and Mail
This chart on the Globe and Mail website shows that the percentage of adults who own a tablet or e-book reader has nearly doubled over the 2011 holiday season. According to the Globe, a report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project to be released Monday found that the percentage of Americans who own a tablet increased to 19 percent in January, up from 10 per cent in December. The study also showed that while men and woman were equally likely to own tablets, more so those with higher income households and those with higher levels of education, women were more likely to own e-readers than men.