Online books are 'the future'
Kevin Foley, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 2/16/07 Section: News
College students spend an average of $900 a year on textbooks, according to a MassPIRG study. This figure is forcing some to look for alternatives such as buying used books or using library reserves. Robert Moll, a computer science professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, says the answer is online.
"I think [online textbooks] are the future. I think it's coming," Moll said. "You can carry a laptop now that's lighter than a book you can buy."
Moll's online book, JAVA - An Introduction to Java Programming, is used as the textbook for Computer Science 121 - An Introduction to Problem Solving with Computers, at no cost for students. "It will remain free at UMass because we will insist that the publisher make it free for Massachusetts state colleges," Moll said.
"Major book publishing companies will also benefit from the online versions of books," said Moll. "There is no production cost, no distribution cost and they don't have to sell them through a bookstore."
Saffran Vomzomer, program director for MassPIRG, thinks that online books are only one small part of a large selection of alternatives to expensive textbooks. "Online books are something that we've looked at, but right now only a small percentage of students are utilizing them."
"Often publishers put restrictions on online books that make them impractical for students to use, such as putting a limit to the amount of times they can view the book," Vomzomer said.
Instead of online books, Vomzomer believes that a more conventional method of supplying affordable textbooks should be used. "Right now we should be doing everything we can to make the used textbook market more vibrant."
"Publishers are extremely fearful of a secondary book market," said Moll. "If a student sells a book to his friend, or back to the book store, the publishing company doesn't make any money off of that. You don't have that problem with online books."
Online books aren't perfect, according to Moll. "You can get lost in an online book just as easily as a paperback, but you have a lot of tools at your disposal." His online programming book contains embedded questions to help students understand the course material. "It makes students better readers and better absorbers of technical material when they read a little bit and answer a question about it," he said. "Pedagogy ought to trump technology."
In a fall 2004 class, Moll used a hardcover textbook. "Only 65 percent of the kids passed the final," he said. "The next fall, I used the online book and 85 percent of the kids passed the final."
Although Moll believes the book is effective, he also recognizes that it wasn't easy to make. "The making of my book was done with the help of $500,000 in grants from the National Science Foundation," he said.
There are some technical problems that come along with using an online textbook, according to Moll. "There have been minor glitches," he said. "My experience with the tech side has been pretty good though."
The Web site, www.textbookrevolution.org, offers roughly 500 online textbooks for free. The site was created by a Northeastern student for the purpose of offering a no-cost alternative for textbooks.
The site is scheduled to be redesigned in 2007, with the hope of offering over 1,000 textbooks by the end of the year.
"I think [online textbooks] are the future. I think it's coming," Moll said. "You can carry a laptop now that's lighter than a book you can buy."
Moll's online book, JAVA - An Introduction to Java Programming, is used as the textbook for Computer Science 121 - An Introduction to Problem Solving with Computers, at no cost for students. "It will remain free at UMass because we will insist that the publisher make it free for Massachusetts state colleges," Moll said.
"Major book publishing companies will also benefit from the online versions of books," said Moll. "There is no production cost, no distribution cost and they don't have to sell them through a bookstore."
Saffran Vomzomer, program director for MassPIRG, thinks that online books are only one small part of a large selection of alternatives to expensive textbooks. "Online books are something that we've looked at, but right now only a small percentage of students are utilizing them."
"Often publishers put restrictions on online books that make them impractical for students to use, such as putting a limit to the amount of times they can view the book," Vomzomer said.
Instead of online books, Vomzomer believes that a more conventional method of supplying affordable textbooks should be used. "Right now we should be doing everything we can to make the used textbook market more vibrant."
"Publishers are extremely fearful of a secondary book market," said Moll. "If a student sells a book to his friend, or back to the book store, the publishing company doesn't make any money off of that. You don't have that problem with online books."
Online books aren't perfect, according to Moll. "You can get lost in an online book just as easily as a paperback, but you have a lot of tools at your disposal." His online programming book contains embedded questions to help students understand the course material. "It makes students better readers and better absorbers of technical material when they read a little bit and answer a question about it," he said. "Pedagogy ought to trump technology."
In a fall 2004 class, Moll used a hardcover textbook. "Only 65 percent of the kids passed the final," he said. "The next fall, I used the online book and 85 percent of the kids passed the final."
Although Moll believes the book is effective, he also recognizes that it wasn't easy to make. "The making of my book was done with the help of $500,000 in grants from the National Science Foundation," he said.
There are some technical problems that come along with using an online textbook, according to Moll. "There have been minor glitches," he said. "My experience with the tech side has been pretty good though."
The Web site, www.textbookrevolution.org, offers roughly 500 online textbooks for free. The site was created by a Northeastern student for the purpose of offering a no-cost alternative for textbooks.
The site is scheduled to be redesigned in 2007, with the hope of offering over 1,000 textbooks by the end of the year.
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