eBooks Provide a Cost-Effective Option for Education

Education costs never seem to go down, do they? While there may be many reasons for this, parents and educators have expressed growing concerns that financial burden may make it difficult for everyone to receive a quality education. Schools might cut back on extracurricular activities, hire less qualified teachers, or end up with overcrowding because larger school systems are difficult to maintain. One surprising way that schools are saving money for themselves and for students is by turning to eBooks instead of printouts and classic textbooks.

How eBooks Work

Most schools are able to provide students with their own iPad or other e-readers. Once a student has an e-reader, it’s simple to set up a series of easily-accessible software so students as young as kindergarten can look up assignments, read books and magazines, and even submit homework. While school libraries are unlikely to die out any time soon, e-readers are durable enough for even young students to use and can easily be used to download whatever materials the class needs. Additionally, e-readers can use software like pronunciation assistance and reading games to help keep students engaged even when the reading is more difficult.

eBooks for Higher Education

As students advance through elementary school and into high school, their homework load increases. This can mean more textbooks, more folders, and more paper to carry around. Instead of spending money printing out copies of magazine articles and packets, many high school teachers are turning to online homework, which students agree makes the work more engaging and easier to remember. Students appreciate that they can bookmark critical lines in their reading, use digital highlighters to mark sections without ruining a book, and easily copy and paste relevant materials into papers or study notes.

College Savings

Once students progress from high school to the stress of paying for their own books in college, many turn to eBooks as an affordable option. With rising costs for post-secondary education looming, students are looking for any way to save a few dollars. eBooks often cost less than half what a hard copy might, which can save students hundreds of dollars over just a few semesters. Since many college textbooks, especially those in science-related fields, need to be up-to-date on all the current advances, eBooks have become a reliable way to ensure the latest information is available to students without requiring overwhelming expenses. Publishers including The Bentham Science Publishers are responding to this need by marketing journals, books, and other information as digital media, so students and readers can have access to the latest news quickly and inexpensively.

Continuing Education

Workers in fields such as medicine, agriculture, nanoscience, and food science, among others, find themselves in need of a quick way to stay on top of upcoming breakthroughs in their fields. This makes eBooks a perfect resource for continuing education. Many companies allow workers to use literature as a continuing education option. Workers can easily download an eBook and keep it on their phone or e-reader to scan during breaks or while waiting for the bus to arrive. Unlike books or magazines that tend to be bulky and unwieldy, not to mention expensive to purchase and maintain, an eBook takes up no more space than a mobile device. Dedicated companies like Bentham Science Publishers have hundreds of articles available that can be selected, purchased, and downloaded within minutes, so consumers always have access to the information they need.

The Future of eBooks

While many people prefer hard copies of books for leisure reading, eBooks are likely to continue to take a prominent place in education due to their versatility, ease of access, affordability, and interactive nature. Students and workers from kindergarten to professional adult can take advantage of inexpensive, instantaneous eBooks to improve education and science at a rapid pace.