Electronic accessibility should be kept in mind

What can UNC learn from schools in Wake County? As it turns out, a lot about textbooks.
The middle schools are taking an innovative approach to outfitting their students with textbooks that might have professors at UNC feeling archaic in comparison.

Each student will have access to textbooks online rather than physical paper copies for his or her science classes, an exciting project that is saving the county thousands of dollars without sacrificing content.

The movement toward “techbooks” in Wake County is a response to legislation the N.C. General Assembly passed last year, which requires funding for textbooks in public schools to go exclusively toward online content by 2017.

Though UNC is not in any way bound by this legislation to follow suit, it would behoove professors to take note and consider the best way to move their courses into the 21st century and save their students money at the same time.

Professors at UNC are already using Sakai to upload readings, using a digital version of the textbook online or using online programs for assignments, but a vast number of courses on campus still require large, expensive, paper copies of the textbook for students to succeed. And that idea is shrouded in values that aren’t keeping up with innovations in technology.

As e-readers such as the Kindle and iPad become more popular among students at UNC – one of the very first public campuses in the nation to require that every student has a laptop – the practice of requiring paper textbooks feels more and more antiquated.

What exactly is tying professors to paper copies of textbooks? It is especially frustrating when professors require students to purchase the newest edition of a book.

It might not be vindictive, but it does call for a second look at why we are so attached to a process that isn’t exactly environmentally friendly when other options are available.

The trend of using “techbooks” rather than physical copies does not mean that our standards should be lowered for the sake of accessibility and ease. If the choice between two versions includes a difference in quality, the best choice will always be the one that improves the learning experience for the student, regardless of form.

A push towards online textbooks would inherently hurt the UNC Student Stores, but a change in mentality is already occurring among students. Students are already either buying or renting electronic or physical books from places outside of student stores. Until research is conducted into ways to overcome this trend — such as creating a UNC specific online retailer for e-books — student stores will continue to see sales decline.

The advancement toward a more digital classroom should in no way come at the sake of the student stores, whose profits help outfit students with scholarships. A mutually beneficial partnership is possible, just as long as the school doubles down on a commitment to keeping UNC at the cutting edge of technology in education.