Boundless possibilities

Electronic books could have long-term impacts on how students access information

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Each semester, MSU students make the trek up and down Grand River Avenue — and sometimes surf the web — in search of the cheapest textbooks available. And when all is said and done, students might have dropped at least $500 toward a number of books, creating financial difficulty for some.

“I’ve been taking out loans recently to pay for my books, but my loans are just out of control right now,” environmental biology senior Jessica Rogers said. “I’m working two jobs to pay for them.”

With the almost sky-high textbook costs in addition to the weight of physical books, electronic or digital books, known as eBooks, have made strides in how students consume information and influenced buying habits, potentially changing the university landscape in the years ahead.

“I would actually be very interested in the technology,” said mechanical engineering senior Eric Massa. “All of my engineering textbooks are pretty heavy so it would be helpful to not carry 20 pounds of books everywhere I go.”

With devices such as the Amazon Kindle and the Apple iPad securing a large market share, researchers at MSU are studying how feasible implementing eBook technology could be not only within the classroom, but along the banks of the Red Cedar River during homework sessions.

But as with any new technology, high expectations and the occasional disappointment loom.

From paper to pixels

The transition from white paper and black ink to colorful and interactive content has the potential to pick up pace if students become the driving force of the digital marketplace, according to a developing eBook study at MSU.

Stuart Gage, professor emeritus at MSU and the study’s principal investigator, said his team has worked with university officials and students concerning the impact digital textbooks could bring to MSU.

“I began to realize a few years ago how important electronic technology was in terms of literature and the ability of digitizing books,” Gage said. “It seemed to me that eBooks would be that next big thing — it has the potential to change education.”

As the functionality of eBook devices evolve and adapt to users’ needs, publishers could provide professors with increased access to eBook information, said Douglas Estry, associate provost for undergraduate education.

In some situations, for instance, professors could make annotations on eBook “pages” to help students learn and study, Estry said.

“When I think about textbooks, I think ideally the material is used to augment students’ learning,” he said. “If students have the ability to use the electronic text to illustrate particular concepts, it engages the student into more active learning in the classroom — that would be a big plus.”

The study stems back to an environmental stewardship initiative to explore ways how MSU could do a better job at maintaining the environment, especially in areas of conservation and recycling, Gage said.

In theory, if digital devices cut down the number of textbooks and paper being sold, a company can sell textbooks to students at a lower price, said Duncan Selby, an entomology graduate student working with Gage.

“Since we started looking at this issue (for) two years now, we’ve been looking at other devices in terms of the paper they save,” he said. “For example, with one Kindle, its carbon footprint is equivalent to 23.5 novels.”

This previous spring and summer, about 600 students were surveyed to analyze how they and their professors might embrace the technology. Although the study’s results will not be announced for at least another month, preliminary results indicate students are still becoming aware of their purchasing options.

“Results so far show that the Kindle and the iPad haven’t been making (as) much of an inroad that people might think,” Selby said. “Laptops still hold a high regard with students — the laptop is king, basically.”

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A device’s affordability and functionality are the main faults that might prevent academia from embracing the digital shift.
When the Kindle was introduced in November 2007, it was designed as a novel-reading device and never had true highlighting capabilities that many students love doing to physical books, Selby said.

Although the iPad and the newest Kindle address some of those issues, each has its own shortfalls.

“The Kindle uses eInk (display) technology which is great for power saving but if you want to do a lot (with the device), the battery will drain like the iPad,” Selby said.

Note-taking and focusing on key points of a digital textbook have not yet achieved the best functionality on any device, Gage said.

“Some of the early problems are the issue of just partial books or partial information and the ability to mark up the material,” Gage said. “Some people don’t like electronic media — they prefer the newspaper and paperback books. We’re trying to wrestle with all those issues on behalf of the students (and hopefully) give them the best options available.”

At Collegeville Textbook Company, 321 E. Grand River Ave., store manager Adam Seyburn said although some publishers have embraced the notion of providing online access codes to textbooks, the cost of information itself — hardcover or eBook format — might remain high even if digital books attract more attention.

“People assume that the cost of a textbook has to do with the physical textbook,” Seyburn said. “Actually, the majority of the cost of the textbook is the intellectual property, the professors and publishers. And of course, you cannot sell (an eBook) back.”

Current versions of the devices range in price from $139 for the Kindle and the $499 for the iPad — numbers that might be beyond students’ budgets, Selby said. Prices of books for the devices are typically equal to or slightly lower than a paper book.

Tech trends

Researchers are looking into how much technology has evolved in the past to make assumptions for the next several years.

Some uncertainty remains as to how much of an impact digital books will make on the bottom line for local textbook stores, Seyburn said. For now, the current generation of students might not embrace eBooks, he said. The next generation of students might be more apt to pick up an eBook over a traditional book, he said.

Those looking to stay ahead of trends can find platforms to jump into creative development, Selby said.

Devices just now are beginning to make greater strides in displaying multimedia and reading to its user, in addition to other popular features such as a web browser, he said.

“The iPad is a game changer (as) it takes away from the stodginess of the old technology and opens it up to (application) development,” he said. “When we first started out, (devices) were very expensive and the market was very limited. A lot of roadblocks are falling one after another and across campus. I would not be surprised to see digital textbooks become a reality in the next five years.”

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