E-textbooks a growing part of university education – with mixed benefits

The use of electronic textbooks has grown rapidly since pre-pandemic times, but the return for students is mixed.

"They often expire, so students often have to buy them multiple times. You also can't make your money back because you can't resell them," said Mateusz Salmassi, a vice-president with the University of Calgary Students' Union.

"Studies show that students retain information from print better, so it's overall a worse return on investment."

According to figures from the U of C book store, electronic learning materials made up about six per cent of revenue in pre-pandemic times.

Those same materials now account for about 30 per cent.

The simplest electronic versions typically sell for about 50 to 60 per cent of the cost of a printed text.

The university says that rapid rise started as a response to the pandemic, allowing people access to materials from home while also getting around supply chain problems.

Among students who spoke with CTV News on campus Tuesday, reviews were mixed.

Being able to fit all their course materials onto a single device was a big bonus, but there was a sense that a physical book is easier to study, reference and navigate.

The merits of digital versus paper are one thing, but the cost to students is increasingly on the minds of professors.

Some are now developing their own open educational resources (OERs) to ease the financial burden.

Tenured philosophy professor Richard Zach says his intro course has 500 students a year. His previous textbook cost about $100.

"I just thought it was unconscionable to continue to do that when there are perfectly suitable alternatives that are free for students – and that I can change as I see fit," Zach said.

The U of C's Students' Union has already committed $500,000 to the development of about 50 OERs, but along with administration is urging the province to get involved and co-ordinate the creation of more free materials to be shared across Alberta’s post-secondary institutions.