Northwest Missouri State University’s experiment with e-textbooks has yielded half a dozen lessons and some surprises. The latest installment of The Chronicle’s College 2.0 column outlines what the university learned in its experiment using various forms of electronic textbooks in several courses this academic year.
One surprise: Students and professors have to learn how to use the newfangled textbooks. “I mean, you can easily read it, but if you want to highlight or enlarge the text or share your notes with other people,” you have to learn to do that, said Tania Brobst, a junior at the university. Initially skeptical, she now says she prefers the electronic version in part because of its search feature and the ability to paste passages into a Microsoft Word document for note taking. But other students surveyed said they still prefer print.
Have any of you tried e-books in your courses? Share your lessons in the comments.
