Textbooks vs. Technology

This study on traditional hard-copy textbooks versus online textbooks includes an introduction that defines the issue of textbook preference. In our background research we have found that technology has began to shift the market for textbooks to an online basis. Other advantages of online textbooks include price and portability, and some stores, and schools have already begun implementing plans to accommodate for this technological revolution.

Thus, we arrived at our hypotheses: that DePaul Students prefer online textbooks due to their reduced price compared to traditional hard-copy textbooks in addition to the variety and easiness of accessing them through different mediums compared to traditional hard-copy textbooks. Ten questions were drafted relating to textbook type preference, as well as, the corresponding factor of accessibility. Our method for our pilot study included fifteen DePaul students selected at convenience, and our questions were altered as needed. The final survey was taken online by 23 DePaul students in our HCI 201 class.

After our study was complete, we recorded our results which, through analysis and graphical presentation, we discovered did not support our hypotheses. Discussing the results, we found that the overall age range of our sample (college students in general) may have influenced these results. Concluding our study, we were overall surprised at our results and that price and accessibility were not overwhelming factors in our findings.