E-Books: Why They Matter for Distance Education—and How They Could Get Much Better

Abstract

If ever a promising technology existed for education—and distance learning in particular—it would be e-books. A prime example is at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), where most of the 14,500 students use some form of distance learning. The growth of e-books at this institution is astounding. University librarian Ellen Safley notes that as compared to print document use, UTD's e-book use by document jumped from 29 % in 2004 to 58 % in 2005; she also reports that the library's electronic collection includes over 131,670 titles (2006). Granted, UTD stands out with a heavy focus on distance learning and research, but it is still an example of the potential viability of e-books for many other institutions. Unfortunately, the more widespread use of e-books by institutions has been compromised by a variety of factors that need to be adequately clarified and addressed in order for the full advantages of this technology to be realized. As a co-founder of the OpenReader Consortium and a participant in the development of dotReader, an upcoming open-source software program for e-book users, I am not disinterested in these issues. This article will examine (a) why e-books should matter to distance educators, (b) examples of the e-book myths holding back adoption, (c) usability issues, (d) the technology's very real problems, and (e) at least a partial solution in OpenReader, a new e-book standard that could mitigate some of the difficulties associated with this technology. In addressing these points, I hope to provide an assessment of e-book technology that does