NCFE
Printable version

Top 10 reasons to switch to e-books

While for some people, nothing will ever be able to replace the joy of curling up with a good book, it’s undeniable that there are some great benefits to e-books.

E-books don’t need paper, which saves trees and therefore helps the planet, however, the benefits of e-readers aren’t just limited to environmental factors.

There are a number of reasons why education providers and their learners should look for digital alternatives to textbooks. Read our top 10 below:

  1. Space – Books take up a LOT of space. Libraries in schools and colleges often have to make trade-offs, shifting out older stock to accommodate new, or limit the number of copies of a text to facilitate a wider range of products.  Conversely, with an e-reader, an entire library can be carried on one device, making it portable and lightweight.
  2. Accessibility – Text-to-speech functionality and audiobooks makes e-books the accessible option for learners with disabilities. Most e-reader apps come with additional functionality to allow the user to change the font, font size and background colour of the page.
  3. Price – No print costs, no storage and reduced distribution costs means that many e-books are cheaper than their printed alternatives. Result!
  4. Subscription services – The ability to pay a monthly fee and read as many books as you like can significantly reduce the costs for learners and for institutions.
  5. On and offline – E-books can be downloaded to your mobile device and accessed offline without an internet connection to help save on data costs.
  6. Interactive features – These allow students to highlight passages, add notes, draw on the pages, have instant access to dictionaries, link to specific websites and pages and search for specific words and phrases. The content can also include video clips, diversifying the reading experience to help suit different learning styles. 
  7. Instant updates – With traditional books, any updates, errors or changes to the curriculum can incur costly reprints. With e-books, you can get instant updates to content and usually at no extra cost.
  8. Instant access – Your e-book library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you can forget about the time-consuming trips to pick up your book or renew your library loan.
  9. Analytics – Education providers can make better informed decisions about the resources they provide through the insight garnered from the analytical functions of their e-library system.
  10. Stock control – you’ll never be out of stock. Your e-books can be downloaded by multiple users at the same time!

NCFE is now providing e-books via Amazon and TES as well as Qualhub in addition to our printed resources from e4print.

For more information, contact learningresources@ncfe.org.uk.

 

Channel website: https://www.ncfe.org.uk/

Original article link: https://www.ncfe.org.uk/blog/top-10-reasons-to-switch-to-e-books

Share this article

ncfe logo
T: 0191 239 8000
F: 0191 239 8001
E: service@ncfe.org.uk

Collaborate Twitter @NCFE

 


NCFE Home

About NCFE

Qualifications

Centre Information

Resources     

 

Latest News from
NCFE

Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story