Indiana University was the first college to pilot a program that requires its students to buy the e-textbook in certain courses. In Indiana’s program, students are charged for the books through their bursar accounts, so they don’t have the option of not buying the book. This bulk purchasing and 100% buy-in by students lets the university negotiate lower prices with publishing companies.
Indiana University says it is ahead of other universities when it comes to saving money on textbooks the 2012-2013 school year.
e-Textbooks can save students money
Hundreds of classes at the Bloomington college will use new high-tech, lower cost e-books.
Indiana University figures a typical student’s book bill totals about $1,000.
To save students and offer them new educational opportunities, Indiana University created this first-of-its-kind electronic alternative to textbooks.
“Their net textbook bill should go down a third to a half over time,” said Indiana University vice president for information technology Brad Wheeler.
It would shave thousands of dollars off the cost of going to college for each student.
E-textbooks are available in two basic flavors. Some e-textbooks are available only while online (material is accessed directly via the internet connection). Others allow you to download the e-textbook to your computer or tablet for use while not connected to the internet. Often, access to downloadable e-textbooks is limited to one computer, while online-viewable versions are able to be accessed from any computer.
Learn more at Switch to e-books helps IU students save money.
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