One of the major parts in the cost of college is textbooks. Many students hate having to spend so much money on books necessary for certain courses. However, there is a up and coming alternative, the e-Book. Electronic books, in some instances, can be a great economic and environmental alternative for students who are trying to avoid the high costs of textbooks.
The National Association of College Stores reports that, on average, students spend $750 a year for textbooks. This is obviously a ridiculous amount. Yet, many companies are publishing their texts online for students. One company, CourseSmart, has added over 7,000 titles. This is a huge amount of online text. Electronic books are much cheaper for students. The publisher is able to post one text online and have thousands of copies administered to buyers, without the cost of producing the physical text. This allows for low prices, and happy students. This also ends the hassle of selling back books, considering, most e-book files last a certain amount of days to ensure there is no chance in reselling or reuse.
Technology has advanced to a point where the need for physical text is decreasing rapidly. Students can access their e-books from anywhere. Any technology that has access to the internet can log on and show the text. This makes it extremely easy for students to access from virtually anywhere. This advancement in technology has also increased the chances for more environmental efficiency. Less books means less money wasted on tons of paper. Most universities, like Georgia Tech, have transferred many of their course materials to the internet. Many students can pay a publisher that grants them access to an e-book and a portal that has all course homework and activities. This is the link to a website that I frequently use to complete my economics work. This site has a broad range of courses, that a student signs up for. They pay one price that allows them to connect to all of the resources they need to complete work in their courses. This usually includes access to the e-book of the designated text for the course.
Electronic books are truly revolutionizing the way we learn and process information. This will hopefully prove to be both environmentally and economically beneficial for both students and universities.
No comments:
Post a Comment