When students begin hunting for the cheapest textbooks this fall, they might see a list of available electronic books, or e-books, on MSU’s website as a result of a study currently being conducted at MSU.
The campuswide student survey, which is part of MSU’s Environmental Stewardship Initiative and is expected to be completed in September, will gather information about how prepared students are for a potential switch to e-books and digital courseware, said Stuart Gage, a professor emeritus at MSU and the study’s principal investigator.
“This is a revolution that’s going on everywhere, and it’s something that we need to adapt to,” Gage said.
Gage said the informational study plans to discover where students purchase course materials and what resources — such as the Amazon Kindle e-reader — students use and are familiar with.
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Gage said digital formats are a huge breakthrough for reducing paper waste, but prenursing junior Crystal Lambert said she would only consider buying a digital textbook if it was less expensive.
“It goes back to sitting down and reading a book — it’s just not the same,” she said. “I don’t like to read off of a screen. I don’t learn as well.”
Gage bought the original Kindle and the recently released Apple iPad tablet, and said it seems foolish to carry around a large number of books when the alternative is a portable device.
Just as interesting (if not more interesting) as to book selection, pricing issues, etc. would be getting an entire large campus in agreeing what e-book reader would be used and if the books needed are available for that reader. We've posted about several unsuccessful Kindle in the classroom trials (Princeton and Dartmouth) come to mind.
Finally, this survey is not coming from the Chancellor's Office, Library, IT Department or even the bookstore. It started at the Environmental Stewardship Initiative and has mophed into the ebook survey.
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