Examining students' use of, preferences for, and learning with e-textbooks

Abstract

E-textbooks (e-texts) are becoming more available in higher education as they offer a cost advantage and features that are intended to enhance teaching and learning. Although previous studies speak to student experiences and preferences for e-texts, these studies are often limited in scope. The purpose of this study is to understand student experiences with e-texts and the factors that drive their preferences for textbook medium with a large-scale multi-institution data set. Findings indicate that e-text use and preferences differ by a variety of student characteristics, most notably students' class level and major field. In general, students who more frequently used the interactive features of e-texts felt that their use of these tools contributed to their learning and interactions with others.