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When students at the University of Phoenix return to school this fall, many of them won't be carrying books in their backpacks. Instead, they will download digital textbooks, multimedia simulations and PowerPoint presentations from portable e-book readers and desktop PCs.
These students are part of the university's plan to phase out traditional textbooks and become a "bookless college."
"Delivery of course materials electronically will free us from the rigid ways that students get their materials, which are lectures and textbooks," said Dr. Adam Honea, Dean of the College of Information Systems and Technology at the University of Phoenix.
While the idea of a campus without books might seem to some as outlandish a notion as a museum without art, the university's four major educational publishing partners are watching the project closely to see how students and faculty will respond to an all-digital curriculum.
As print-bound textbooks are getting heavier and more expensive, publishers are realizing the potential market for offering customized, interactive digital textbooks to meet students' needs.
"Publishers and authors see no revenue from the active used-text market, and professors are beginning to feel their students' pain at escalating textbook prices," said Dan O'Brien, senior analyst for Forrester Research.
"Every year, too, brings a fresh crop of computer-savvy students, teaching assistants and young faculty. Most college campuses enjoy broadband connectivity, and the various parties are just starting to ask themselves, 'Why don't we experiment here?'"
The benefits of e-textbooks are clear: They're cheaper than print books and they offer the ability to customize content by annotating text, highlighting key passages and bookmarking pages. Professors can mix and match chapters from various textbooks and other sources to create customized study guides or offer a section of a book, rather than an entire manuscript.
With portable electronic readers like the goReader, students can hold an entire semester's worth of interactive textbooks and materials in a device that weighs less than five pounds.
Rovia, WizeUp, NetLibrary and Versaware all have convert-and-publish deals with assorted textbook publishers this fall, and the whole industry hopes to learn from the reception these editions receive, O'Brien said. Rovia is building custom websites accessed by a browser plug-in, while WizeUp is selling a downloadable version locked to a specific machine.
Course Technology, a division of Thomson Learning, will offer more than 50 of their best-selling textbook titles as e-books this September.
Earlier this year, Adobe launched its eBook U Initiative, partnering with higher education institutions to explore the use and impact of e-books in the classroom. The project is helping professors create their own e-book coursepacks by equipping them with software tools and training support.
"We're just beginning to understand the possibilities of the software and how it can change learning," said Tom Prehn, group manager for eBooks market development for Adobe.
But some students and faculty remain unconvinced current e-textbooks present a compelling alternative to traditional textbooks. Many electronic reading devices aren't yet equipped with the bells and whistles needed to display the full-color graphics that can illuminate a static biology or economics text.
Gabriel B. Frommer, a professor of psychology at Indiana University, created a Web-based textbook to engage passive students. But he soon found that some students were reluctant to read on screen as a substitute for printed textbooks.
"A paper version appears to be almost necessary. It is certainly convenient. A few students cannot get to computers easily because they commute and do not have computers at home. Also, many students do not like to work on the computer, especially for the long periods which become necessary if people wait until the last minute to do the assigned exercises," Frommer wrote about his students' reactions to the Web-based textbook.
But insiders say students will embrace digital textbooks. Value-added, multimedia-infused digital textbooks are already on the way.
"All the publishers are worried about piracy, but if the digital versions are priced economically compared with the new and used print alternatives, students should go for them," O'Brien said.
"The next generation of textbooks is in design and production right now," Prehn said.
Honea believes that digital course materials will eventually replace print textbooks. "The question is when," he said.
But others don't think the transition to an all-digital classroom will happen any time soon.
"We're not about getting rid of print books," Prehn said. "But digital books could bring whole new usage patterns and whole new ways of studying."
Forrester predicts that digital textbooks will sell approximately 147 million units and net $3.2 billion in 2005, while trade e-books (including PC/PDA downloads and dedicated devices) will sell only 73 million units and net $674 million.
"In the next five years, I see digital college textbooks taking about a quarter of the market," O'Brien said. "Longer term, with the advent of digital paper from companies like e Ink and Gyricon, physical texts will seem too limiting and become more uncommon."
