Figure 1
Use of eText vs pText by students
Figure 2
Easy access to eText
Figure 3
Early access to eText
Figure 4
Perception about training to use eText
Figure 5
Easy use of eText vs pText
Figure 6
eTexts vs pTexts improvement
Table 1
Reasons for difficulties in using eTexts
Faculty response to Question 7– I find it difficult to use the eText for anyone of the following reasons (select all that apply)
| Item | f | % |
|---|---|---|
| Too hard to take notes and keep/share them | 122 | 52 |
| Student lack of time spend reading the course text is the same regardless of whether it was paper-based or digital | 115 | 49 |
| Too many technical difficulties | 110 | 47 |
| I needed access to my book sooner than I was able to get it. | 85 | 36 |
| I had access to the eText but not associated support materials & resources | 78 | 33 |
| I didn’t have my book by the first day of the term | 75 | 32 |
| I need more technical support to solve bugs and errors | 69 | 29 |
| The content isn’t the best and it would be better to choose the in-house material created by faculty and staff. | 52 | 22 |
| The content isn’t the best and it would be better to choose a new book for the course. | 47 | 20 |
| My eText isn’t optimized for use on the iPad. | 47 | 20 |
| I need more training on use of the eTexts and eResources | 37 | 16 |
| None of the above | 9 | 4 |
| Other (list reason in other comment box below). | 37 | 16 |
| Prefer not to say | 1 | .04 |
[i] f = frequency. % is calculated by f/235 since respondents could choose multiple answers.
Table 2
Pros and Cons of eTexts Faculty reported Pros and Cons of eTexts
| Category | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Portable | Open-book exam difficult |
| Quick access to exercise answers | Difficult to flip or browse | |
| Good for presenting content in class | Hard to reference vocabulary | |
| iPad can carry all textbooks at once | Hard to take notes | |
| Easily available | Lack of offline access | |
| Integrated case studies | eText access late in term | |
| Engages students more | Access to answers too easy | |
| In time can be a huge benefit | Hard to read (font, colors) Glorified PDFs Students study better from pTexte Text popup windows blocked Wifi access sporadic and unreliable Older devices lose access | |
| Support | No Pros given | Technical errors prohibitive Lack of teaching resources Complicated to use |
| Training | No Pros given | Not enough training provided Training by non-teaching staff More time needed to adopt |
Table 3
Publishers and/or eText platforms used
Which publishers and/or eText platforms are you using? (Select all that apply).
| Item | f | % |
|---|---|---|
| McGraw-Hill | 105 | 45 |
| Pearson | 110 | 47 |
| Oxford University Press | 31 | 13 |
| Cambridge University Press | 20 | 9 |
| Wiley | 34 | 15 |
| ALEKS | 10 | 4 |
| VitalSource | 43 | 18 |
| CourseSmart | 20 | 9 |
| Other | 9 | 4 |
[i] f=frequency. % is calculated by f/235 since respondents could choose multiple answers.
Figure 7
Comparison of Q6 (I feel that eTexts are an improvement over pTexts) by the two most used publishers to determine if dissatisfaction centered on use with one over another.