The Future of the eTextbook

Sara KillingworthUKSG

March 2012

The Future of the eTextbook

• Summary:– The market – from “p” to “e”– Development of eTextbooks– What does the future hold?

The Future of the eTextbook

The Market from “P” to “E”

Ebooks Are Here• eTextbook market

– Worth $1.5bn in 20081

– Expected to grow to $4.1bn by 20131

• eBook market:– Worth $9.5bn in 2010

• eBooks will outsell printed books this year at major retailers

1The Future of the Textbook Marketplace, Outsell May 2010

The market – from “p” to “e”• Estimated 19.5 million eReaders sold in 20101

• 18 million tablets sold in 2010; – 15 million were iPads2

• 2013, market expected to look like:– 150 million eReaders sold– 100 million tablets3

• Tablet/eReader eBook sales to reach $9.7bn by 20164

Source: 1New York Times, October 2011; 2Los Angeles Times, November 2010; 3intomobile, November 2010, 4intomobile, October 2011

The market – from “p” to “e”• But printed textbook sales still growing• Students still prefer printed textbooks

– Look, feel, permanence and ability to resell key factors

• Subject area affects need for permanent reference copies

• Cost– Second hand books still cheaper?– Book rental options?

The market – from “p” to “e”• Faculty want quality, selecting texts based

on content relevant for course rather than format

• Lack of adopted titles in e-form

• Culture of HE?

• BUT eTextbook market is set to implode

The market – “p” to “e”• Partnerships:

– Institutions migrating to materials-inclusive pricing– LMS / publisher agreements

• Non-publisher created textbooks/materials:– Institutions are “doing it for themselves”– Open Source content and resources

• eTextbook usage and demand studies conducted by HE-funded bodies

The market – “p” to “e”• Key findings of the JISC usage study:

– 65% of users use ebooks to support work / study– 50%+ respondents stated that the library was the

source for the last ebook they used– Use of eTextbooks seasonal, linked to teaching /

assessment calendar– 1/3 of all eBook pages viewed off campus at all times

of the day– Flexibility and convenience of eBooks valued – Use hindered by platform limitations, e.g. printing,

downloading and slow access speeds

eBook platforms…

Operating systems…• Android • Bada• Baidu Yi• BlackBerry OS• BlackBerry Tablet OS• CyanogenMod• GGDFS• iPhone• iOS• MeeGo• Meltemi• MIUI• Mobile operating system• Nokia OS

• OMFGB• Openmoko Linux• OPhone• Palm• SHR• Smarterphone• Symbian Foundation• Symbian• Tizen• TouchWiz• Ubuntu Mobile• Windows• WebOS

Basic requirements• Accessible across all platforms and OS

• Getting back to basics – understanding how the textbook is fundamentally used:– Write in the book– Turn down pages– Highlight passages

Basic requirements• Key features required for eTextbooks:

– Personalise books with notes and highlights– Inclusion of self assessment tools– Inclusion of lecture presentations and support

materials– Links to real time data– Ability to tap into an online tutor when needed– Access to videos, audio, podcasts to bring the text

alive

• What about printing and copying?

Development of eTextbooks

Development of eTextbooks• Ebooks mostly used for quick fact finding:

– 85% users spent less than a minute on each page– Only 5% spent 5 minutes or more on a page– Printed books preferred for extended reading

• Usage would suggest expectation of a lower price point

• Study found no considerable impact on printed textbook sales throughout the usage trial

• Is this usage worth the investment in audio, video etc to support text content?

Development of eTextbooks• Bottlenecks in libraries when printed

course texts “out on loan”

• Increased use of mobile devices among students

• Tablets emerging as alternative access devices to laptops– Prices being driven down– Ubiquitous nature of student lifestyles

Development of eTextbooks• Interactive tools increase student engagement

and learning outcomes• Usage statistics

– Online environment offers greater potential to monitor usage and increase sales/usage

– Faculty can use tools to “see” what their students are doing and which non-recommended texts are being used

• Development likely to be driven by subject• Hybrid world will exist for foreseeable

future

Development of eTextbooks• What about content quality?

• eTextbooks still created by companies of professionals; but

• Students increasingly refer to Wikipedia / Google

• eTextbooks can address this if developed in line with user behaviours and expectations

Development of eTextbooks• Faculty already create course packs using

different content types

• Textbooks can be broken up into chapters, included alongside articles, videos, audio

• Flat World Knowledge MIYO feature

• Dynamic Books

• MindTap

Development of eTextbooks• Develop eTextbooks as mini-websites

• Include rich functionality and different content types

• Google-style access (which students like)

• Access can be controlled via password

Development of eTextbooks• Social media in eTextbook development

• Would it improve learning outcomes?– Faculty communicate with students via email,

LMS etc– Students communicate with friends via social

networking

• ConnectYard, hub to connect social networking channels and LMS systems

Development of eTextbooks• Apple iBooks 2

– Feature materials from McGraw-Hill, Pearson and others– Authoring software to create own eTextbooks– Only accessible via Apple devices– Option to create PDF versions of content for access on

other devices

• Android and others will release competing products• Prices will decrease as market matures• US seeing a shift to supply devices with broadband

accessibility

Development of eTextbooks• Pearson Foundation Study:

– Tablet ownership trebled for college students; quadrupled for high school seniors

– 70% students reading digital texts– 75% students use tablets daily for learning– Believe eTextbooks will replace print within 5

years

eTextbooks – the future?

eTextbooks – the future?• Evolutionary process

– Speed of adoption likely to depend on subject– Ease of access and use

• Which business model will out?– Individual student purchases?– Materials-included based fees?– All library budget absorbed by digital

materials?– PDA?

Thank you.