eBooks@plymouth
Phil Gee
School of Psychology, Plymouth University
I cannot begin to tell you how
happy this makes me! At 27 I am
no longer prone to jumping up
and down with excitement, but
this made me want to jump out of
my seat and make silly girly
noises!
the idea
• Textbooks are splendid things
• Let’s get students using them
• I choose & provide
• Customer is school, not student.
eBooks in
Psychology
• Stage1 deal in 2011:12
Cengage texts cover all core
lectures
• Spans 4 intakes (360 + 320
+320 + 320) plus 40 staff.
eBooks in
Psychology
• Stage 2 deal in 2012:11texts
covering all core lectures
• Pearson, Wiley, Sage, Palgrave
& Cengage
• Spans 3 intakes (370 + 340 +
340) plus 40 staff.
benefits
• Delighted students & parents
(print copies £900+)
• Teach knowing ALL students
can access reading (anywhere)
• Note sharing - social and
dynamic.
benefits
• level playing field
• frees up library resources
• encourages ‘reading for a
degree’.
works well because
• books ‘belong’ to student
• anywhere, any time
• reliable platform.
survey
Eighty-six first-year Psychology undergraduates at Plymouth University responded
any positive comments?
any negative comments?
The ebook scheme is fabulous! Aside from the huge amount
of money it saved me, the ebooks are so much more
accessible than the hard copies. Just the fact I can carry
twelve textbooks round with on my phone and iPad... I can
read during the commute the uni and even whilst Im cuing to
pay for my groceries. Similarly the search facilities are so
much more effective, book marking and highlighting and
especially being able to see what and where your peers have
highlighted their copies. Ive never used ebooks before and in
all honesty I typically find reading a bit of a chore, but having
the ebooks really has made a world of difference. Thank you!
survey
Eighty-six first-year Psychology undergraduates at Plymouth University responded
any positive comments?
any negative comments?
Puts everyone at an
advantage right from the
beginning of the course
and not only the people
who can afford books.
saves waiting in an
endless waiting list for a
book. easily accessed
and portable.
its harder to read alot on
a computer screen i feel
it strains my eyes more
than a paper book
survey
Eighty-six first-year Psychology undergraduates at Plymouth University responded
any positive comments?
I like the on line tutorials
on the e books they help
me. Also I prefer to read e
books in bed as I can
make the print bigger and I
dont drop it on my
chihuihua dog, like i do
with normal books.
any negative comments?
i found it odd reading
books from a I do prefer
the printed books but want
to get more used to the e
books. Also they are really
good for the environment.
computer screen but soon
got used to it
2012 project
• Second Year Psychology
• Environmental Science
• Marine Biology
• Earth Sciences
• Computing
• Geography.
2012 project
Sage
Pearson
Hodder
Cengage
McGraw Hill
Taylor & Francis
Prentice Hall
Wiley Blackwell
Palgrave Macmillan.
survey
Five hundred and four undergraduates at Plymouth University responded
print
I prefer studying from
29%
combina
eBooks
-tion
10%
61%.
survey
Five hundred and four undergraduates at Plymouth University responded
yes
no
Have you bought any of the
books in the bundle in print
form?
15%
85%
Did you buy books on the
supplementary reading
lists?
31%
69%.
survey
One hundred and one second and third year students surveyed post exam or
online. Mean (standard deviation)
How many books
did you buy in
your first year?
Total
New
New
New Second
(shop) (online) Hand
3.63
(2.46)
2.49
(1.98)
1.04
(1.64)
Mean price on Amazon = £31.83 (£13.27)
0.80
(1.37)
good for publisher
• much more predictable
• multi-year deal cost and
market advantages
• universities less likely to
pirate their stuff
good for universities
• we can do our job more
effectively
• we have happy students
lessons I: working with
academics
• herding cats would be easier
• decision: which available texts
suitable?
• commit to several years?
• email won’t do
• need to start early.
lessons I: working with
academics
committee = slow death.
lessons II: working with
publishers
• like herding poorly-trained cats
• variation in pricing policy
• not always easy to get the idea
across
• unit = book.
lessons III: working
together
• we need a Jess and a Jeni, plus
clear and attractive pricing policies
• or publishers need to develop
offers: work with universities and/or
distributors.
final thoughts
• really exciting time in academic
publishing
• we could get quality texts to students
when & wherever wanted and build
habitual reading
• but must build new relationships & new
ways of thinking about content. ...