Classes use online textbooks

As more and more students take advantage of Internet resources for their personal enjoyment and entertainment, faculty members at Boston College have begun to incorporate online lessons into their lesson plans and, in some cases, have utilized online textbooks as a way to provide students with engaging, updated information.

John Gallaugher, a professor in the information systems department and author of the popular blog "This Week in Geek," is currently developing an online textbook for information technology teachers, complete with both theoretical text and updated case studies. The textbook, set to be published by New York-based publishing firm Flatworld Knowledge, will be available to students for free online. The first chapters and cases from Gallaugher's book are available on his Web site. The material is already in use worldwide and has received praise from faculty across the globe. A print version of Gallaugher's book will retail for less than $30, a substantial savings from the list prices of his discipline's most popular textbooks, many of which are over $175.

Material online includes cases on Netflix, Facebook, and Zara, as well as chapters on strategy and technology, and Web 2.0.

"The goal is to offer compelling content - written in a style similar to what you'd read in BusinessWeek or Fortune, but wrapped around theory that will continue to be valuable even as firms and technologies change," Gallaugher said.

Gallaugher, however, is not the only administrator who has made use of online materials in their lesson plan. Joseph Quinn, a professor in the economics department, utilizes learning materials in his 250-student microeconomics class, supplementing the textbook material with updated online problem sets. The education technology program, Aplia, used to manage Quinn's problem sets, allows students to complete and submit their paperless assignments online, and provides students with immediate feedback of their results. "The students can complete their assignments at their leisure, as long as they're turned in by the deadline," Quinn said. "They immediately can know whether they got the answer right or wrong."

Quinn said that the practice of using online tools has lightened the workload of teaching assistants in Quinn's microeconomics classes. "The new online problem sets have saved a considerable amount of time and effort for the TA's. The work of correcting all of those papers can be mind-numbing and unnecessary, in this case." Quinn said that the online application has also had an effect on the amount of work he has been able to assign his students. "If the problem sets weren't online, given the amount of paperwork the TA's would have to do, they probably would have been smaller and would have been given out less often."

Richard Tresch, also a professor in the economics department, is the author of several textbooks, including Public Finance: A Normative Theory, which contains an online supplement. The online aspect of the book contains examples and case studies that the student can use in conjunction with the text, which is primarily theoretical. "I found that in many textbooks, the examples got in the way of the theory," Tresch said. "I decided to package a short book with the examples separate from the text."

There have been some who have expressed concern for the future of the textbook industry, pointing to the advent of digital content and used book sales as causes for concern. "There are several forces impacting the industry right now," Gallaugher said. "The rise of the Internet has increased the efficiency of the secondary book market, making it easier to sell used books. When these books get sold, publishers make no money."

Not only has the Internet increased the circulation of second-hand books, but there is also a thriving gray market, where low-cost international editions are imported back into the U.S. Gallaugher also noted that there are several Web sites where "pirated" copies of textbooks can be found. "Given all these factors, it's not easy for this industry to make money anymore. The textbook industry, in its present form, is dying."

Gallaugher, however, does not believe that the responsibility for the industry decline lies solely with outside forces. "The textbook industry has not been wise regarding their reactions towards these forces. Not only are textbooks expensive, but much of the content is outdated, texts bloated with excessive content, firms have spent far too much money on low-value digital extras, and many books are simply not engaging," he said.

According to a 2004 study by the College Board, a student at an American college or university paid approximately $817 for textbooks and supplies during the 2003-2004 school year.

While some faculty members predict a difficult market for textbook publishers, others believe that there might be hope for the industry. "In the late '90s, people thought that as the Internet became much better, textbooks would be replaced by online applications, Tresch said. "That hasn't necessarily been the case, though. Students seem to resist the movement away from books, and it seems that they will not give up the physical texts."

Gallaugher echoed that sentiment, citing convenience as a major reason why students have not yet forfeited the print and ink mediums of learning. "With online textbooks, students may have a choice to either print out all the material when they need it or read the material online. But printed versions are unruly and online versions cause eye strain," he said.

New technology, however, may provide a solution to that issue. "There is new technology, such as the new Kindle device which will give students better options," he said. The Kindle, an electronic book reader from Internet company Amazon.com, allows customers to download books and newspaper subscriptions onto the portable device designd with e-Ink that is light and easy to read. "Amazon has sold out of Kindles for two straight holiday seasons. Efforts like this are on their way to wide-spread adoption," Gallaugher said. "But whether that's three years, five years, or 10 years away is uncertain."