Do your students always forget to bring their textbook to class? Do those same students always remember to bring their phones and computers? Its time to switch from traditional textbooks to e-book learning.
Unlike cell phones, e-books aren’t a new gadget that will distract your students. Here’s why e-book training will improve your students’ learning outcomes and classroom experience.
1. Students Prefer It
E-books have become a popular alternative to traditional textbooks with students. More and more students are ditching traditional textbooks every year.
A recent survey found that 66% of college students choose e-textbooks over the paper alternative. That number has risen sharply since 2012 when only 42% of students reported that they used e-books.
Clearly, students prefer learning with e-books—but this isn’t just a matter of preference. There are many reasons why your students will enjoy e-book training.
2. Cost Effective
Let’s face it, the price of textbooks is forever on the rise. Students are often forced to pay hundreds of dollars for a book they only need once. Expensive course materials are one of the leading contributors to high student debt.
Expensive textbooks often put some students at a disadvantage. A student who can’t afford necessary texts might be forced to drop your class or face a failing grade.
Income should not be a barrier to a great education. E-books typically cost a fraction of traditional textbooks. Make sure your course materials are accessible to everyone with e-book training.
3. Always Available
Textbooks are a high-demand item. Yet, printing companies make a limited supply of textbooks. Stores may stop carrying a textbook needed for your class. Even worse, a textbook might go out of print.
E-books, on the other hand, never go out of print or out of stock. By using e-books in the classroom, you are ensuring your students are always able to access the materials they need.
E-books are the only textbook format that will always be available to your students.
4. Save the Environment
Textbooks are often a single-use item. Once a course is over, students rarely revisit their text.
Students throw away their old textbooks. Many of the items found in traditional textbooks are non-renewable or outright toxic. While they may be an important learning resource, textbooks are also a hazard to the environment.
Each textbook creates the following waste:
- Hundreds of pages of paper
- Ink
- Plastic packaging materials
- Glue or plastic binding materials
- The carbon output of the printing press
- Greenhouse emissions from textbook delivery to bookstores
E-books are the most environmentally conscious option. An entire class can have access to the same e-textbook without cutting down a single tree.
E-books are delivered instantly and wirelessly to your students–without the emissions from a delivery truck. When your students finish a course, they can simply delete their e-book if they want to.
E-books keep non-renewable resources and toxic items out of the landfill.
5. Learn On the Go
You may think that your students will need to buy an e-reader to access their e-book. However, e-books are accessible on smartphones and computers.
Once your students buy their e-textbook, they will be able to save the file on all their devices. That means your students will no longer forget to bring their textbook to class. Their textbooks will always be available and right in their pockets.
6. Lighten Your Load
Do you remember running from class to class with a backpack full of heavy textbooks? Students’ backpacks seem to get heavier and heavier over the years. Doctors say hauling around the weight of hefty textbooks is bad for musculoskeletal health. No student should have to strain their bodies in order to learn.
Make heavy bags full of large textbooks a thing of the past. With e-book training, your students can carry an entire library on a single reading device.
7. Check Your Notes
Some students like to highlight or notate each page as they study. They might prefer print textbooks because there are margins for notes. After all, how can you highlight a book without pages?
Students don’t have to abandon their notes with e-books. All e-reading software allows students to highlight and notate each page.
Students are also able to bookmark specific pages for studying later. In other words, e-books save your students valuable studying time. The days of sifting through hundreds of marked pages just to find one paragraph are over. Finding notes in an e-textbook is as simple as opening a bookmarks tab on their device.
Give your students a time-saving solution and switch to e-books.
8. Academic Assistance at Your Fingertips
Do you have a student who struggles with technical vocabulary? Maybe you have a student whose vision prevents them from reading small text. If a student can’t learn from the text, they won’t meet their full potential.
E-books are most accessible than print textbooks. Students are able to change font size and brightness to meet their needs.
E-books also sync up with your device’s dictionary. That means students can highlight a word and get the definition.
In many cases, students need access to extra materials to help them succeed in a course. If your class is using print textbooks, students would have to find those materials on their own or seek out a tutor.
If your class uses e-books, then your students already have access to the supplemental materials they need. E-books often include links to:
- Helpful articles to supplement the text
- Video presentations for visual learners
- Audio readouts of the text
Using e-books in the classroom means having academic assistance built into the text. They may be the solution you need for your struggling students.
9. Save Shelf Space
Your students may live in a small apartment or share a dorm room. Print textbooks take up valuable workspace. Cluttered workspaces affect students productivity and quality of life.
Cut the clutter by assigning e-books. Your students will appreciate having the extra room to study.
The E-Book Advantage with 30 Bird
As you can see, selecting the right textbook format directly impacts your students’ success. At 30 Bird, we offer many of our courses in e-book format. We’re equipped to give your students the advantages they deserve.
Contact us if you are unable to find a textbook you need in an e-book format. Call us at (888) 330-9071, e-mail us at info@30Bird.com, or visit 30Bird.com. We want to help you lead your students to their desired learning outcomes.
