Textbook Affordability and Student Acceptance of eTextbooks: An Institutional Case-study

Abstract

As a former participant in the ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology, Lethbridge College has continued to use and find benefit from the results - in this instance, to create an institutional technology profile of students participating in an eTextbook research project. 

There is significant interest among institutions of higher education in the potential of digital textbooks to enhance student learning and to address issues arising from textbook affordability. Innovations in digital textbook design and delivery infrastructure and the emergence of exemplary practices from early adopters signal that digital reading may be a practical alternative to print. Less well understood, however, is students’ experience of textbook affordability, their experience of print and digital textbook utilization, and factors that might influence their acceptance of digital textbooks. This paper explores the results of a semester-long eTextbook research project at a Canadian college and shares six suggestions grounded in student feedback.