The VitalSource Resource

This op-ed was originally published in The74 on June 4, 2018.

The growing cost of higher education is a major issue for students, families, and colleges. Tuition has more than doubled over the past 30 years, and three-quarters of all graduates struggle with loan debt.

Higher education in the United Kingdom is changing, and a number of factors are contributing to this. The steady rise in tuition fees means that students are beginning to view university in a different light. Gone are the days when higher education institutions are simply viewed as “cathedrals of learning.” Instead, modern students have an increasingly transactional view of university. Student satisfaction and value for money is high on their agenda, and moves are being made by industry bodies in order to evaluate both these areas for prospective students.

Nearly all college students, 92 percent to be exact, believe that digital textbooks have advantages over traditional textbooks, but studies find that faculty are more reluctant than their students to transition to digital. To meet these needs, faculty must learn to integrate digital into the classroom—but many don’t know where to start or how best to use the available tools.

Part 1 of 2: Why doesn’t this happen?

If all required learning materials, including textbooks, were provided to all students on or before the first day of class, the average price per student of learning materials would drop and students would be more successful.

The ways in which learners can consume and interact with educational content has dramatically changed and these changes are reflected in teaching and learning around the globe. At VitalSource our mission is to continue to improve the learning experience by making it easier to create and deliver effective and affordable educational content. We are passionate about accessibility, affordability and putting the right content in the hands of the learners at the right time.