Student Perceptions of Electronic Textbooks

Electronic books traditionally haven’t been popular with the public but electronic textbooks have been starting to gain traction on college campuses. Textbook publishers and faculty have been experimenting with using them in the classroom with mixed success. Students seem less than enamored with electronic textbooks. This research uses a survey to examine student preferences regarding paper textbooks and electronic textbooks. We find that students overwhelmingly prefer paper textbooks. But, there are fundamental differences between students who prefer paper textbooks and those who prefer e-texts regarding the advantages of each format. We explore student perceptions of electronic textbooks, differences in student perceptions, and how these perceptions might impact the development and use of electronic textbooks in the classroom.