Reader comments
E-books make learning cheaper

Finally!

This is something that could have been available at least 8-10 years ago and for which I have been pushing all that time.

It is not only much more cost efficient, from many angles, it is also more knowledge efficient as updates and error corrections can be made available to keep the information in the e-books more relevant and/or accurate.

A plus all the way around.

The math does not seem to work in making textbooks cheaper at the University of Phoenix. If you take 4-5 classes which is common for a full time student, then at $95 a class that is $380-$475 per semester or $760 to $950 a year. According to most independent surveys such as the California SEARS survey, students spend about $750 a YEAR on average on textbooks, but have the flexibility to sell some of those books at the end of the term, which may reduce their net cost. In the case of the University of Phoenix they don't have that option and are in effect paying more if they are enrolled full time.

e-books do not reduce textbooks cost...you pay the same amount for a print book and an e-book, but you lose the first sale rights attached to a printed book. That is, the publisher can set an expiration date so you can no longer access the book and they prohibit you from transferring the book to someone else like is very common with used print books. You pay the same for less rights, plus there is no guarantee technology will allow you to still access your book in a year or two even without an expiration date, with the speed at which technology changes.

If we teach students information literacy skills so they know how to judge the quality of information available on the internet for free, students will learn just as much as they would with an overpriced textbook in addition to being skilled at finding more information on their own when they need it. They may also be encouraged to participate and collaborate in writing new materials. The argument that authors won't write if their material is given away for free online does not hold water anymore. Times are changing and publishers are scared as they become irrelevant.

A co-worker is going to the UOP distant learning school. Showing up one time a week, listening to the instructor, no homework, no books (I guess electronic) and "reads stuff on the web all class long" (direct quote). Is this the how the UOP teaches? I mentioned about 500-1000 word papers due weekly at my college and he was amazed! He did not understand about writing research papers and citing resources! They are doing more than saving money... It is unfortunate they are allowed to lower the value of 4 year degrees.

DOn't know where your co-worker really goes but that is not how UOP works - - you work our tail off and don't just slide by with a paper here and there. Just finished masters program, and one course at a time makes you work as though you were taking 4 or 5 courses- acclerated learning, and it DOES NOT lower the value of any 4 year degree! Some of those who go one night a week to a campus work just as hard in between except for that co-worker of yours. Sounds like that person needs to set some priorities and get real about going to school, or is that person just going to get whatever is left over after financial aid pays - - that 's what it sounds like to me!!!!

Ebooks are great because you can access them from anywhere at anytime. And, just like hard copies of any book, the info gets old and gets revised - - if you return to school due to some delay, then you might still end up going out and BUYING another copy of some hard copy. Depending on how many classes one has, you might have to have 3 or 4 books, and $95 is cheap compared to the general cost of just one hard copy book. Buying a hard copy does not guarantee you will be able to sell it the next year either cause schools are always changing textbooks (so u end up with a book u don't need or want any more). I bet you have no problems going out and renting videos that you have to return, that you never own, and definitely cannot sell to someone NEXT year!!! (unless u do bootleg- - and that is a risk if you hope to get a good version).

Not a comment, but a question. Are the ebooks downloadable to a portable devise, other than a computer or netbook? Such as a Kindle or Sony e-reader?

UOP's method of on-line books is awful. You do not get the whole book. You only receive the parts (chapters) of the book that the school feels covers the course. You do not receive workbooks, CD-Rom's, or lab manual that work along the side of the text to help a student better grasp the concepts of the course. I learned about this after failing a course. I begged my academic counselor to tell me where I could find information for the course I was taking, because I was having a hard time in the course. My counselor told me to guess and just do the best I could. That did not work. Now I am trying to dispute the failing grade I received in the course. When information is withheld from a student for the sake of cost, learning becomes a nightmare. You continuously bang your head against a wall that does not give. No school should aggravate or stress a student to the point of a complete meltdown. I regret ever getting involved with UOP!

I do not see an answer to Lindas Question. Can the ebooks be downloaded to a kindle or other reader?