Quantcast
Channel: cal state universities – Daily Titan
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 2

CSUF offers digital versions of textbooks for students

0
0

At the beginning of every semester, students are bombarded with the stress of having to purchase textbooks for all of their classes.

Students have multiple ways to obtain their textbooks. Some buy or rent hard copies of books through the campus bookstore, online or other stores near campus.

However, students now have the option to rent digital copies of their textbooks.

Cal State Fullerton is joining other Cal State Universities in a systemwide effort to offer digital versions of textbooks to students through a program called CSU Rent Digital.

The CSUs created the Rent Digital program in hopes of making textbooks more affordable to college students. Students can save 60 percent or more off the cost of new print textbooks by renting e-textbooks.

 One way CSUs are able to provide cheaper digital textbooks is by partnering with multiple publishers. Some of the publishers include CafeScribe, Cengage Learning, Cengage Brain, Barnes & Noble Nook Study, W.W. Norton eBooks, Follett Cafescribe, Schlager Milestone, VitalSource, CourseSmart, SAGE and THUZE, said Leslie Kennedy, director of Affordable Learning Solutions.

This provides CSU students access to over 45,000 e-textbooks.

Students can save money on course materials fees if their instructors adopt affordable learning options, Kennedy said.

However, some students prefer having hard copies of their textbooks rather than the digital versions.

Ami Patel, 21, a health science major, said she prefers the hard copy version of textbooks.

“I need to be able to physically highlight and (possibly) write in the book. I like reading a paragraph and summarizing it in a sentence at the end,” she said.

Many students try to find alternative ways to save money since hard copies of textbooks can be expensive.

“The average I have spent on a textbook was $80 to $100 on one textbook; it usually depends on the class, but it also goes higher than $130,” Patel said. “To save money I tend to look online like Amazon and Chegg before the bookstore because they tend to be cheaper.”

On the other hand, there are some students who choose to purchase digital copies of their textbooks.

“I actually prefer digital copies of the textbooks because it makes things easier to find,” said Paayal Bhakta, 18, a business and economics major. “The price of my textbook does affect the form I buy it in, I try to buy literally the cheapest version I can find.”

The CSU Rent Digital program may end up helping many students out, especially those who have other expenses, such as rent and groceries.

“College students are always on a budget and honestly even the little things help a lot,” Bhakta said.

Kennedy said the goal of the CSU Affordable Learning Solutions and CSU Rent Digital is to expand student and faculty access to affordable course materials and thus promote student success.


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 2

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images