ERIC Number: EJ822635
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Nov-28
Pages: 1
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-5982
EISSN: N/A
Is Higher Education Ready to Switch to Digital Course Materials? The Cost of Textbooks Is Driving Electronic Solutions
Nelson, Mark A.
Chronicle of Higher Education, v55 n14 pA29 Nov 2008
Each year one of the biggest debates in higher education seems to be: Is this the year that electronic textbooks take off? E-reader devices are getting better. The inventory of digital content is expanding. Business models are emerging to support the needs of students, faculty members, and publishers. People are getting more comfortable with new modes of information delivery and the pervasiveness of technology in their lives. In this article, the author questions the readiness of higher education for a rapid shift to digital course materials. He observes that one of the remaining key barriers to the adoption of digital course materials is the willingness of faculty members to adopt them. To reduce this barrier, faculty members need better mechanisms to discover digital course materials and more empirical evidence that demonstrates how using those materials may improve their students' learning.
Descriptors: Higher Education, Textbook Evaluation, Instructional Material Evaluation, Electronic Publishing, Use Studies, Barriers, Readiness, Influence of Technology, Program Attitudes
Chronicle of Higher Education. 1255 23rd Street NW Suite 700, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 800-728-2803; e-mail: circulation@chronicle.com; Web site: http://chronicle.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Opinion Papers
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A