FIPSE : Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education

By: Sherry Hickman
Online Instructor, Biological Foundations, MacDill, Ybor and SouthShore Campuses

I was very interested in attending the FIPSE : Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education 2011 E-Text Symposium, held on October 7, 2011, at Daytona State College. I wanted to interact with publishers' reps who sell online textbooks. I wanted to see what information was gleaned by the FIPSE study on e-texts. I wanted to hear what the Daytona State College students had to say about the use of online texts.

I teach an online course in non-majors biology (BSC 1005C) and we have used an e-text for the past three semesters. We moved to an e-text for few reasons: instant access to the text online after purchase, access to the text online from anywhere in the world (some of our HCC students are in the military and are deployed to locations around the world), cost savings, and environmental concerns.

When we were using a paper text, the materials cost approximately $225: course access fee, lab access fee and paper text price. With our new format using the e-text, the cost to the student is approximately $90.

Since we are teaching biology, which includes man's impact on the environment, attention to reducing our impact on the environment was of concern. The online format of our class models "best practices" in protecting our environment. We do not commute to campus, we do not use paper for our text, we do not ship textbooks, we do not need a building to house our class.

The FIPSE study echoed a lot of the concerns I hear from my students about using e-texts . Some students love the e-text. Some prefer a paper text. In our class, we make the paper text available to the students through the HCC bookstores and the publisher. Of course students know how to find used texts through outlets such as Amazon and half.com. Those students who like the feel and "readability" of the paper text are welcome to purchase a paper text for an additional fee.


The FIPSE study included questions about supplying students with laptops or e-readers to access their texts. Personally, I do not see the need for the colleges to supply the hardware to access the e-text. Many students have computers at home; virtually all schools have computers for students to use for free. Many e-texts have the ability for the student to print the pages they might require.

Another issue is the updating of material in textbooks. It is rather simple in an e-text. A new edition of a paper text is expensive; old texts are "wasted", students are frustrated when they cannot sell their text back at the end of the semester. These problems do not exist with an e-text.

Some people think if we go to all electronic books the paper books will "go away." This is easily solved by "print on demand" which is used by many publishers right now.

E-text? I am sold on the idea and the practice. It is working for me and my students.