Dive Brief:
- A new survey from Pearson Education reveals that 80% of a surveyed group of students and faculty say that digital learning materials are part of the future of higher education, and would help with challenges in learning and affordability.
- Only 56% of survey respondents say their schools have at least half of the course materials available in digital format, despite the costs of traditional textbooks having risen more than 1,000% in the last 40 years.
- Some vendors say digital materials are helpful not only in increasing affordability for students, but also in collecting student data on learning styles and trends.
Dive Insight:
With the continued growth of open-source curricula and the influx of adult learners soon to arrive, higher education has to move towards more of a digitally -platform of instruction and sharing knowledge. For larger schools, this is a relatively easy prospect, but for smaller liberal arts colleges with staunch faculty and limited resources, it is not such an easy task.
Leaders should look to collaborate with other institutions and programs to find cost-sharing opportunities in securing software and digital licenses for materials. While no one likes the idea of mergers, sharing the load on equipping students for the future of education seems to be a mutually beneficially idea schools can share, even within different missions and cultures.