BC Looking Forward: A Future of iPads and eTextbooks
For years, traditional Bluefield College students have paid a flat fee to rent the textbooks they need for the semester. While this system will continue in the upcoming academic year, it will look different. The college will provide students with eTextbooks this fall instead of printed books.
“[S]tudents who need a published textbook because of special accommodations will be provided access to the textbook through the eCampus semester rental program. There will also be copies available in the Easley Library for review,” explained Dr. Marshall Flowers, vice president for academic affairs. “Like any other student who chooses to keep their text and not turn it in at the end of the semester, they could secure the text from eCampus or through Amazon.”
The college will also be providing students with the iPad Air 4, which they can keep after graduating, to access eTextbooks and other course materials.
“The new iPad Air 4, Apple Pencil, and Smart Keyboards will be distributed to all students at the opening of the 2021 fall semester,” said Dr. Flowers. “All software, including Office 365, eTextbooks and Apple applications, will be loaded on the iPads in advance of distribution to students. The iPad will access any applications (and) services available to the student through their personal Apple ID, including iCloud.”
Though inflationary factors and the purchase of the iPads will cause a slight increase in tuition, “the move from leased physical textbooks to eTextbooks will save students money,” President David Olive said.
“The major advantage of the iPad initiative is that everyone will have the same operating system. In freshman-level writing classes, especially, much of my job turns into teaching students how to use Word, OneDrive, Outlook, Google Docs, and any other technology that students might need. One constant frustration is that students use a variety of devices, so I have had to learn how Word and e-Learning look on PCs, Macs, iPhones, and Androids. Now that I can count on everyone’s having the same device, I can give the same instructions to everyone and will need to troubleshoot only one interface. That change will make it easier for students to learn, as well, I hope.”
Dr. Joshua Pittman, Professor of English
Some professors have already received an iPad and engaged with Apple training resources, which will be available to students.
“The Apple Learning Sessions have been a great opportunity to see how some of the apps and tools will help with teaching objectives and creating engaging learning opportunities and assignments for students,” said Crystal Kieloch, professor of English.
Faculty members like Wendy Beavers, professor of history, believe the iPad’s Split View, Spotlight search, and accessibility functions will increase productivity. She and other professors are eager to use iPads in the classroom environment.
“They are already coming in handy for teaching classes remotely, especially when I want to be able to share more than one screen at a time with my students or to diagram a sentence in real time,” shared Dr. Irene Rieger, professor of English.
David Hite, professor of business, uses apps like Trello for project management and PIXL and Canva to create graphics, resumes, and marketing materials.
“One application (of the iPads) will be to help education students be prepared for technology integration not only inside their future classrooms, but for virtual teaching, as well, by using tools on the iPads such as Clips to create instructional videos and Numbers to create engaging and interactive assignments,” shared Dr. Shellie Brown, professor of education.
Rebecca McCoy-Reese, professor of theatre, explained that iPadOS 14 allows her to complete tasks on her iPad that once required a laptop.
“I’m especially excited for the potential the technology holds in our Video Storytelling class,” said Allen Roberts, professor of graphic communication. “The cameras capture nice video, and there’s no shortage of apps that will provide students a wealth of editing options — all in one device.”
BC students shared some of the benefits they anticipate.
“Some people don’t have access to personal laptops or iPads, so this is a great Idea,” said communication student Jaxon Bast. Music education student Timothy Gasperson agreed.
“I think this will be great for students because an iPad will be more convenient to carry and use in class than a laptop in my opinion, and it will be a nice perk of coming to BC,” he said.
Additionally, they expressed some concerns.
“I am still pretty old school and appreciate a physical copy, also reducing the blue light irritation to our eyes,” shared business administration student Evan Matlick.
Music students like Ethan Stinson are concerned sheet music will not fit on the screen.
“It (will) be easier to keep up with and manage having everything you need all in one place,” said psychology student Cameron Taylor;” although, you could run into dead batteries, broken screens, etc., but I think the pros outweigh the cons.”
As for the switch in textbook formats, several professors explained the potential benefits.
“In upper level classes, we have more textbook discussions, and combined with the eTextbooks, we can more easily throw texts onto the Smartboards, more easily move back and forth between books, Bible searches, and general web-based materials/videos to bring those discussions to life. We are also exploring the use of Bible software in our (Christian Studies) CST classes, and the iPads would allow the ability to bring that software directly into the discussions and work in class. This would be especially helpful in original language classes such as Greek and Hebrew.”
Dr. Shawn White, Professor of Christian Studies
With the switch, students do not have to worry about keeping up with a textbook if they have access to an Internet-connected device. Additionally, taking notes and quoting text will be more convenient.
“Having the eTextbooks will allow students and faculty to have access to all their course textbooks on their iPads wherever they are,” Dr. Brown added. “eTextbooks are great because they provide valuable accessibility tools for users because you can increase the font size, hear audio of the text, get definitions of words, take notes and highlight directly on the pages, and search for information easily.”
Dr. Lisa Robinson, professor of criminal justice, explained that students will no longer have to worry about getting behind in a course while waiting for a physical textbook to be shipped to them. Additionally, they will receive the latest edition.
“I anticipate the advantages being the ability to access hyperlinks for a deeper understanding of the topic, access to engaging activities online, (and) the author’s ability to instantly correct and revise textbooks and create new editions,” said Dr. Thomas Brewster, professor of education.
However, BC professors also mentioned some drawbacks. Several of them are concerned students will not retain as much information from reading eTextbooks as they do reading print textbooks.
“There is something special that happens when holding a book and touching and seeing the print on the physical page that I think facilitates capturing and remembering information,” said Dr. Henry Clary, professor of Christian studies. “Call it another sensory mode of learning.”
When using an iPad, students will likely be distracted by notifications and apps instead of navigating to textbooks and course materials. When they do access the text, it is uncertain how much they will engage with it.
“Because all the pages look the same in electronic format, there are no visual identifiers to help you remember where information is,” Dr. Pittman said. “For example, I often remember whether a phrase that I read was on an even-numbered or odd-numbered page and how far down the page it was. That helps me to find the phrase again when I need to quote it in an essay or bring it up in class.”
Professors are also concerned that a textbook they currently use will not be available in the new format, which may create the need to rework a course’s curriculum.
“The switch to eTextbooks will almost certainly produce some difficulties at first, both unforeseen and predictable. However, I’m fortunate in that I’ve taught classes using all electronic texts before, so I am confident that we can make it work. I don’t pretend to know the challenges that other departments will face, but I find electronic texts work fairly well for English classes. My hope is that this switch, as with all the improvements we make, will help our students to grow and develop as learners, citizens, and Christians.”
Dr. Irene Rieger, Professor of English