Abstract

In this study, the Student Experience Research Advisory (SERA) wanted to find out whether or not students are interested in an alternative to traditional textbooks: digital eBooks. An online survey was sent out to all BCom students enrolled in the Sauder School of Business via email. Students were given a link to the online survey and all participants in the survey had a chance to win one of seven Starbucks gift cards. 741 students participated in this survey, which accounts for over one fourth of the BCom students. Opinions regarding the usage of digital eBooks were generally negative.

Background

A growing trend among educators in recent years is replacing the traditional textbook with electronic books, or eBooks. These eBooks are textbooks that can be downloaded or installed from a publisher onto a student’s computer, eBook reader, or a mobile device. One eBook reader can effectively replace hundreds of books. Used as a paperless source of information, eBooks are becoming increasingly popular as a “green” solution. As well, eBooks are not confined to just education. In The United States alone, $170 million in Revenues were recorded in 2009 (IDPF, 2010). Demand for eBooks is growing exponentially due to their portability and environmental friendliness.

The common belief is that students generally prefer to have the class material in a tangible, concrete form that does not require a computer screen. In addition, students usually resell their textbooks—an eBook does not match this capability.

Robert Peregoodoff from the Sauder’s Learning Technology Services department has asked SERA to investigate students’ attitudes towards eBooks. This includes what kind of pricing factors determine demand, aesthetics of eBooks, and whether environmental issues would affect a student’s decision. In particular, the LTS would like to know the reasons students use eBooks, and what kind of incentives would need to be provided to make them an attractive option.

Procedure

To conduct the eBook study, SERA utilized the online survey method. A questionnaire was sent by email to all BCom students. The survey was open for two weeks, with students receiving a reminder email halfway through the study. As incentives, respondents were entered into a draw where they could win one of seven $5 Starbucks Gift Cards.

The survey method was chosen primarily because of its efficiency in gathering a large sample size. Surveys are very inexpensive to carry out, and do not require a researcher to accompany each participant. Due to their ability to gather obtain large samples, they are considered to be one of the most reliable research methods. Other research methods were ignored because they would require more time and resources, while offering little more insight than a survey would be able to provide.

For sampling, SERA targeted all BCom students, aiming to maximize the sample size. No further demographic information was collected, as the data would not provide any feasible insight into the results. 741 students, or approximately one fourth of the BCom population, participated, making the eBook survey high in reliability. However, it should be noted that 78.8% of people who started the survey finished it. This could imply some kind of response bias, where motivated students are more likely to complete the survey. Overall, SERA is confident with the sample, and believes that it is representative of the BCom population.

Findings

Question 1

The first question put students in a situation where a professor, who normally uses only regular textbooks, would be taking bids for a digital eBook (Figure 1). In this “auction,” the student with the highest bid would receive the eBook—which is exactly identical in content to the textbook (which costs $150). The question asked what would be your maximum bid in this situation.

Results of the question are shown in the Figure 2 histogram. Most responses fell in the range of $30-100, meaning students discount the eBook either moderately or aggressively. In addition, 21.8% of students made a bid below $30, while 2.6% made a bid of $0. There is a statistically significant group of students that either don’t want to use eBooks, or don’t assign a value to them. Overall, the average student would place a bid between $50 and $70 (exact number depends on whether boundary responses are included).

Interestingly enough, three students placed a bid higher than the $150 parity price. This would imply that these students either valued the eBook higher than the textbook, or misinterpreted the question. Frequencies for each bin range are shown in Figure 3.

Question 2

This question asked: “what discount factor would you assign to the eBook so that you would purchase it over the textbook?” According to the results, eBooks would have to be heavily discounted in order for them to be preferred to books. 62.4% of responses gave a discount factor between 50% and 80%, while 11.7% of people gave a discount factor greater than 80%. This means that the majority of students (74.2%) want a discount of at least 50%.

The distribution of responses is in the chart below.

Question 3

Question three was subdivided into 9 statements where respondents had the choice of Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, and Strongly Agree. These questions were designed to see explore students’ attitudes towards the aesthetics and environmental factors surrounding digital eBooks. The full results are aggregated in the appendices (Figure 4). A quick overview for each question is listed below:

I prefer to read my books in paper form over electronic form.

87% of students either agreed (31%) or strongly agreed (56%). One can confidently say that students prefer the paper.

Reading online articles hurts my eyes.

73% of students either agreed (46%) or strongly agreed (27%).

I find myself distracted when reading articles online.

79% of students either agreed (39%) or strongly agreed (40%).

I find myself distracted when reading articles in paper form.

81% of students either disagreed (57%) or strongly disagreed (24%).

I find textbooks to be aesthetically pleasing.

71% of students either agreed (55%) or strongly agreed (16%).

I like textbooks because I can read them anywhere.

68% of students either agreed (45%) or strongly agreed (23%).

I wouldn’t be bothered by reading books from a computer.

59% of students either disagreed (44%) or strongly disagreed (15%).

I think that using online books would help the environment.

87% of students either agreed (54%) or strongly agreed (33%).

Given the opportunity, I would buy online books to help the environment.

55% of students either disagreed (43%) or strongly disagreed (12%).

We can conclude from this data that there is a significant majority of students who are opposed to the use of eBooks. Roughly three quarters of students prefer textbooks over eBooks because (a) they are easier to look at, (b) they’re aesthetically superior, and (c) they are more portable. Although the textbook ranked consistently superior to eBooks in every category, 45% of Sauder students believe that the use of eBooks would help the environment.

Question 4

In the fourth and final question of the survey, students were asked whether or not they had any additional comments regarding this matter. About half of the respondents said something under this question. However a small portion of respondents said something along the lines of “no comment”, and those responses were not counted. Subsequently, a total of 335 qualitative responses were recorded and analyzed. 18 of these responses demonstrated that either the student misunderstood the concept of the eBook, or they chose to say something irrelevant to this topic. The remaining 317 responses will be discussed below.

10 respondents simply said that eBooks should be offered as an alternative to printed textbooks, so that students can freely choose between the two options.  3 people said that perhaps the eBooks can be bundled together with the tangible textbooks, so that students can use them interchangeably. 74 respondents said something positive about eBooks and/or exhibited a willingness to buy an eBook if they are available for purchase. 143 respondents said something negative about eBooks and/or predicted that very few people would be willing to purchase them. 51 students said that the price is a key factor in determining whether or not they are willing to purchase eBooks. 48 students mentioned other key factors that would influence their decision in buying eBooks. Note that some individuals mentioned price and other factors as key variables influencing their opinion about eBooks.

The majority of the students commented on the advantages and disadvantages of eBooks that they feel are most important to them. The noteworthy comments regarding the advantages are discussed below:

Advantages:

–       Convenient: A total of 52 students talked about either the convenience of using eBooks, or the lack of convenience when using tangible textbooks. Of those 52 responses, 46 said that they would likely purchase eBooks (or predicted that many students would choose to purchase eBooks), while the remaining 6 students still said that they would not want to purchase the eBooks for other reasons such as price. The following is a list of factors explaining why these students would find eBooks convenient:

• Heavy mass of printed textbooks: Most students bring laptops with them, and for those who do not bring textbooks, the computer labs in the Henry Angus building are easily accessible to them. eBooks can therefore be easily accessed on campus or at home for BCom students. On the other hand, it is not practical to carry up to five textbooks at once. A few students mentioned that carrying even one heavy textbook around, when only a few pages or a few chapters are needed, is a waste of energy, especially if the textbook does not end up getting used.
  • Even some of the students who did not like the idea of using eBooks said that they may be willing to buy eBooks for courses that require heavy textbooks.
• Functions of eBooks: There are several functions that can be used on eBooks that cannot be used on a printed textbook. These functions include:
  • The “Ctrl + F” function which allows students to easily find concepts using key words.
  • The print screen function which allows students to easily insert diagrams into their personal notes.
  • Being able to print out some of the important pages is helpful for students who want to insert them into their written notes, or for those who dislike reading from a screen.
• Compatibility with eReaders:  Many students wondered if these eBooks would be compatible with iPads, Kindle and other eReaders. The eReaders would be less harmful of one’s vision, and are even easier to carry around than laptops. One student even mentioned that perhaps it would be useful if students can do quick reference checks in an eBook on their smartphones.
  • Two students even said that they would probably read more with eBooks because it is so convenient to carry around a laptop or a tablet.

–       Cheaper: 24 students admitted that the price discount of eBooks is very attractive, and 18 of those students were supportive of the use of eBooks while the other 6 students were supportive of printed textbooks for other reasons than the price discount.

–       Environmentally friendly: 27 students’ comments indicated that they agree the eBooks are more environmentally friendly, but only 12 of those students were supportive of switching to eBooks. The other 15 students would purchase printed textbooks regardless of the environmental issue.

• Students who did mention the environment usually also talked about other factors as well. The environmental concern is more of an add-on point to support their arguments for eBooks, or to show that they did consider the environment when making an argument against eBooks.

–       Printed textbooks are easily damaged: One student mentioned that printed textbooks can be easily damaged, while eBooks cannot be damaged.

Disadvantages

–       Inconvenient: 76 students mentioned that eBooks are inconvenient in some one. Of those, 70 students said that they would continue to use printed textbooks, while 6 would still purchase eBooks regardless of the inconveniences. These inconveniences include the following:

• Highlighting (and other functions) on printed textbooks: Most of these 76 students mentioned the ability to highlight key words or concepts on the traditional printed textbooks. Other functions mentioned include making notes in the margins, and putting book marks or sticky notes on important pages. Many of these students also suggest adding a highlighting capability if it does not already exist.
• Flipping through pages: Several students mentioned that they would like to be able to flip through the pages with ease (for printed textbooks) for quick references or to see how many pages they need to read, etc. A few students also mentioned that they always have to wait a lot time for the next page to load when using eBooks.

–       Pricing of eBooks: As discussed previously 24 students had said that they found the price discount of the eBooks attractive, but 6 of those students still said that the discount is not enough for them to choose eBooks over printed textbooks. Additionally, 30 students mentioned that printed textbooks can be sold again in most cases. All of these 30 students argued against the use of eBooks. They find the pricing of eBooks to be typically more expensive than they should be.

• Some students said that they would only buy the eBooks if the price of an eBook is less than the difference between retail value minus re-sell value of the printed version. This would mean that the discount needs to be 50% off or more according to some of the responses.
• A few students also reasoned that the costs associated with offering eBooks is much less compared to the costs of printing and distribution of the tangible textbooks.

–       Environmental concern: As previously mentioned, 15 out of the 27 respondents who agreed that the use of eBooks would be more environmentally friendly, but would not use eBooks regardless of that fact. There are also 7 students would argued that most students would print off much of the eBooks anyway and therefore potentially even more harmful. Some even mentioned the waste of electricity.

–       Exhausting for the eyes: 28 students had said that reading from a screen is painful and unhealthy for the eyes, especially for classes with a lot of assigned reading. A few of those students also said that many things we do are already online (for academic and social purposes), so it is nice to be able to read something in paper format.

• Some students said that it could be more acceptable to use eBooks for relatively short books, or for courses that require less usage of textbooks.

–       Harder to focus: 25 students mentioned that it is harder to focus when reading from a screen, either because of the screen itself or because of distractions such as social networking websites.

–       Limited access: 10 students described previous experiences using eBooks and said that they did not like how eBooks expire after a certain period of time, and they cannot flip through it for a reference check.

–       Technical difficulties: 2 students mentioned that it can be frustrating if they have problems with their computers and subsequently cannot access their eBooks, especially if it occurred right before an exam.

–       Hard transition: 2 students said that it would simply be difficult to grow accustomed to using eBooks. Another student said that eBooks would take the joy out of reading.

Regardless of the advantages and disadvantages of eBooks, some students said that they cannot make an informed decision without further information. Some of the aspects of the eBook that influence a student’s decision making have already been mentioned: price, size of the printed version of the book, and functions of the eBook (highlighting, side notes, etc.). Other important factors that students consider are formatting, visuals, ease of navigation, availability of online study guides, and whether or not the eBook is mandatory. A few students brought up the previously mandatory COMM 486W (business writing) textbook. They said that it was “awful”, “useless”, not visually appealing, and had a lack of functions. A few students wondered if they can get discounts on eReaders if they choose to buy eBooks (assuming that they are available on those eReaders). One student suggested giving out a discount on eReaders with the purchase of 10 eBooks. A few students also talked about the potential of misconducted caused by offering eBooks, for example students can share a password to an eBook, or print off the entire book and sell it once the course is finished.

Please keep in mind that qualitative responses cannot always be quantified perfectly, i.e. a student may be on the fence about the usage of eBooks, while others have stronger opinions. The numbers provided in the discussion of Question 4 responses can only serve as a rough guide on the students’ opinions. In general, students who support the use of eBooks generally provided shorter comments, whereas students who disliked the idea of using eBooks often had a lot to say to justify their opinion. Note also that by commenting positively about the use of eBooks, students do not necessarily intend to purchase them if they are available. Likewise, those who had negative comments regarding the use of eBooks will not necessarily reject opportunities to purchase them. Other influences which are not addressed in this study include the potential effects of marketing, peer pressure, and such.

Conclusion

As digital eBooks are becoming an increasingly popular medium of reading, the Sauder LTS decided to do an investigation on student opinions towards eBooks. SERA implemented an online survey that was directed to all Sauder BCom students. The survey asked questions related to pricing, aesthetics, and environmental impacts.

Regarding pricing, the majority of BCom students would only consider purchasing eBooks over textbooks for their classes if there is at least a 50% discount. This is because students value textbooks more than they do eBooks, and are unable to resell eBooks like they can with tangible textbooks.

Why do students prefer textbooks? Participants consistently preferred textbooks over eBooks in every dimension given on the survey. Textbooks are more convenient, less distracting, aesthetically superior, and easier on the eyes. Other reasons include inability to focus when reading from a screen, limited access after expiry of eBook, potential for technical difficulties, difficulty in getting accustomed to using eBooks, and it can hurt one’s eyes after long periods of time. Despite a majority of the respondents choosing textbooks over eBooks, some students still support the use of eBooks.

When asked to provide additional comments, most participants mentioned price and/or convenience of both eBooks and printed textbooks to justify their point of view. Many participants were sympathetic to the question regarding the environment. 87% of students agreed that using eBooks would help the environment. However, when asked for additional comments regarding eBooks, those who did mention the environmental concern seemed to talk about it as a secondary reason to support their opinion.

Finally, there are factors that can potentially influence student opinions that have not been addressed in this study. These factors can include marketing and peer pressure.

Appendices

Online Survey Question Sheet – eBook

1) You are in first year and are required to take COMM292, Organizational Behaviour. Your professor has stressed in class that the textbook is required in the class and will be used frequently for discussions and exams. The textbook is priced in the Bookstore at $150 and there are no used copies available. The professor announces that students have the option of buying the book online in electronic form. The content of the “eBook” is exactly identical to that of the textbook. The professor starts an auction for the eBook where the student with the highest bid gets to buy the eBook for that price. What is your bid?

2) Now generalizing, what discount factor would you assign to an eBook so that you would purchase it over the textbook?    ___% off

3) Circle one: Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree

I prefer to read my books in paper form over electronic form.

Reading online articles hurts my eyes.

I find myself distracted when reading articles online.

I find myself distracted when reading articles in paper form.

I find textbooks to be aesthetically pleasing.

I like textbooks because I can read them anywhere.

I wouldn’t be bothered by reading books from a computer.

I think that using online books would help the environment.

Given the opportunity, I would buy online books to help the environment.

4) Any further comments that you would like to make regarding digital eBooks?