A Campus-Wide eTextbook Initiative Dr. Roger Von Holzen Director—Center for Information Technology in Education Director—Textbook Services Northwest Missouri State University

Introduction Northwest has provided textbooks to students for over 100 years Northwest provides a laptop computer to every full-time student*

Using a Sony eReader Device has 6-inch display Utilizes breakthrough E-Ink technology –easy to read even in bright sunshine Text can be changed between three different sizes One touch buttons to move backward and forward through book pages Able to conduct keyword searches*

Phase I Findings There are multiple components to a textbook, including graphs and images, with all having separate copyrights The formatting for eReaders can require weeks to complete For campus-wide deployment there are currently not enough eReader-compatible eTextbooks Most eTextbooks are available only through laptop computers and/or web access PDF formatted textbooks have restrictive and slow navigation options*

Phase I Findings Students have a high affinity for handheld electronic devices Students like the idea of not having to carry 20 or 30 pounds of textbooks in their backpacks Keyword searching and annotating are very important features for students and faculty The enthusiasm quickly waned for eReaders without the needed search and annotation features Students found the eReaders were attention getters but were not attention keepers*

Phase II Goal: evaluate eTextbooks designed for use on student laptops Phase II completed during the spring semester of 2009 Eleven of a possible 19 academic departments volunteered to participate –Twenty classes, across the 11 departments, were selected to use eTextbooks –Approximately 500 students were involved in Phase II*

Phase II Findings The delivery of eTextbooks to students via their laptop computers was a simple and very efficient process Students were able to complete the downloading of eTextbooks with little assistance from university support staff Several publishers were able to provide enhanced eTextbooks with quizzes and shared notes. Students continue to see the potential for carrying less materials (and less weight) to class 88% of students read their textbooks 1 to 10 hours per week*

Phase II Findings 88% of students read blogs, Facebook, news articles, etc. up to 3 hours per day 87% of students skip around while reading textbooks 67% of students find eTextbooks more convenient and efficient than printed text The features students liked most about eTextbooks are the ability to search, highlight, and annotate But in the end, most students still preferred the printed textbook*

Phase II Findings Student preference: eTextbooksPrinted TextbookNo Preference All things being equal 25% 48% 27% Stabilized Fees in Rental Model 59% 21%20% Reduced Cost in Purchasing Model 79% (50% of cost) 13%7%

Conclusions Minimal use of eTextbooks—mostly with online courses Display’s reflectivity can impact readability Short battery life Ergonomically not designed for extended reading –Weight can be an issue*