Current textbook prices, availability, profitability and production limitations have allowed the college educational print industry to stagnate. It’s imperative to innovate as the student population is moving into more of a mobile informational lifestyle. In 2008, 18,632,000+ people attended higher education in the United States (according to the US Census Bureau). These students come from a variety of backgrounds and have varying degrees of comfort with computing and/or mobile devices. It is safe to say that the demographics of the student population is increasing, both in number and mobile dependence.
The current climate with e-Textbooks is not conducive or favorable with helping to push students and teachers to the next level in education. Many teachers assign texts to bolster their in-class lectures and presentations. Others, primarily the authors of the texts, use the textbook as outlined in the class. While I cannot fix the fundamental problems inherent in the higher education forums concerning student’s study habits or classroom interactions, one thing is clear: the current COST of textbooks is robbing students of the VALUE that is provided therein. Thus, most students resent having to purchase a text, and more so the paltry cash returns they get at the end of the semester in a vain effort to justify the initial cost. In order to provide more value to the student it is necessary to have relevant and competent information to enhance coursework, as well as options that allow for greater discussion and focus on course content. Several solutions will be proposed later.
The current climate with e-Textbooks is not conducive or favorable with helping to push students and teachers to the next level in education. Many teachers assign texts to bolster their in-class lectures and presentations. Others, primarily the authors of the texts, use the textbook as outlined in the class. While I cannot fix the fundamental problems inherent in the higher education forums concerning student’s study habits or classroom interactions, one thing is clear: the current COST of textbooks is robbing students of the VALUE that is provided therein. Thus, most students resent having to purchase a text, and more so the paltry cash returns they get at the end of the semester in a vain effort to justify the initial cost. In order to provide more value to the student it is necessary to have relevant and competent information to enhance coursework, as well as options that allow for greater discussion and focus on course content. Several solutions will be proposed later.
