For Students
America’s publishers know that pursuing a college degree is increasingly expensive. That’s why they are producing more course material options than ever and offering them at significantly reduced prices. By harnessing state-of-the-art technology, these materials are not only less expensive, but they give students anywhere, anytime access.
Balancing higher education costs with lower spending on course materials
The costs of tuition and room and board continue to climb but, according to statistics from Student Monitor’s Lifestyle & Media Report – Spring 2011, student spending on textbooks dropped 10% from the Fall 2009 academic year and is down 20% from the Fall 2008 academic year. The College Board’s 2010 Trends in College Pricing found that “books and supplies” are the lowest expense for off-campus students and tied with “transportation” as the lowest cost for on-campus students.
This is due, in part, because publishers are offering cost-conscious alternatives such as custom editions; e-textbooks; unbound, three-hole punched binder editions; black and white editions; books online one chapter at a time; and completely digital courses.
Newly released statistics, from digital course materials provider CourseSmart.com, show that college students can save up to 60% on each title by using state-of-the-art e-textbooks. CourseSmart, a service developed by higher education publishers, offers digital course materials and 90% of all core textbooks at up to a 60% discount on the list price, including more than 20,000 titles. New titles are being added almost daily.
The new e-textbooks offer features such as advanced search functionality, note-taking capabilities, digital highlighting and the ability to send passages to peers electronically.
In addition to e-textbooks, CourseSmart.com offers several free Apps that can be downloaded via iTunes and lets students access e-textbooks on an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.
Offering state-of-the-art technology options
Educators are also using publisher-developed technology, such as software that gauges students’ knowledge base and then customizes their study tracks. Online quizzes and tutorials enable students to assess and measure their own progress anywhere, anytime. Other tools digitally capture class lectures and enable searches for keywords and specific content. Handheld response devices – better known as clickers – are adding interactivity and response tracking to class discussions and lectures. Studies show that clickers increased class participation and attendance from 45 percent to 90 percent.
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