Most students already have access to a computer, smartphone or tablet. Why not take advantage of that accessibility and combine it with classroom instruction?
The University of Houston-Victoria's decision to embrace electronic textbooks for instruction is the right move in terms of cost-savings and improving instruction.
Some higher education students are already taking advantage of e-textbooks to complete assignments and follow along in the classroom on their tablets and smartphones. Gino Tozzi, a political science lecturer, has used electronic textbooks for his classes since spring 2014. As the materials are easy to access through downloads or online resources, the students stay in tune with their studies by opening an app and a simple swipe of a finger.
At the end of the semester, Tozzi surveyed his students to evaluate whether the students valued the new method for distributing the classroom materials. Of the 87 students surveyed, 92 percent expressed they were more likely to read the instructional material on a screen than in a traditional textbook.
The digital versions of textbooks can also reduce the amount of money students have to pay - often with little or no re-sale value when the term is over. According to Lori Williamson, access services librarian at the VC/UHV Library, the average cost of textbooks for a freshman taking 12 credit hours in the U.S. is $780. Many open educational sources offer classroom materials free or at a much lower cost than their physical counterparts. For a student taking on 18 credit hours with required reading, that can take a load off their pocketbook and off their back in the more literal sense.
For those students who enjoy the tangible versions to highlight and take notes in, it's still less expensive to print the electronic version than to purchase the heftier hardcover from the bookstore.
The campus library also received a $2,000 stipend from the UHV Provost's Office to encourage more faculty members to adopt free or reduced-price electronic textbooks. We hope more instructors will take advantage of this and look toward using open education resources when planning their curriculum.
This opinion reflects the views of the Victoria Advocate's editorial board.
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