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Mar 05 2014
Classroom

Boundless: Say Goodbye to Print Textbooks

According to new survey data, digital learning content is rapidly gaining momentum.
by

Jimmy is a writer and editor who publishes a weekly newsletter. You can find him on Twitter.

Textbooks have long been a staple of college classrooms — but is the “textbook bubble” about to burst? New data from a survey conducted by Boundless, a creator of online textbooks, suggests that college students are tired of overpaying for print resources that, in many respects, don't stack up to interactive, cloud-based digital content:

Students are finding and choosing digital alternatives to traditional textbooks that help them learn better, with fewer pain-points and at a lower cost. This movement will eventually lead to a post-textbook world, where physical reference materials give way to digital resources that deliver better education with greater access.

The survey, Ushering in a Post-Textbook World, revealed some interesting numbers. We curated a few of the most noteworthy below.

Of surveyed college students:

92% prefer digital research options to print resources
61% prefer to study with digital quizzes
82% say interactive content is a valuable learning asset
80% are drawn to digital resources because they cost less
74% are drawn to digital resources because they are more portable
65% have decided against buying a textbook because it was too expensive

And perhaps most critical:

150% The increase in college textbooks compared with consumer price index since 1998

How much longer will students use print textbooks? Let us know your thoughts in the Comments.

<p>iStock/Thinkstock</p>

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