When it comes to getting a college education, it’s hard to imagine a world without textbooks, notepads or in-class lectures. But as more tools like e-Books, netbooks, iPads, video lectures and online courses become available to students, traditional methods of learning are changing. Although these tools are still being integrated in students’ day to day educational habits, it is clear that higher education is entering a new era that could eventually transform the classroom and universities forever. Here’s a look at some gadgets and services that are revolutionizing college campuses and a glimpse into the future of education in the digital age.

Laptops, Netbooks & Online Textbooks
Digital tools like laptops and netbooks have practically become an in-class, notetaking necessity for today’s college students as the traditional pen and paper option seems to be falling by the wayside. UCLA student Chelsea Dunlap brings her laptop to every lecture. “I’ve noticed that I take notes more efficiently on my laptop, and I can get a better grasp of the lecture because typing is second nature, and I don’t have to look down. Instead, I can keep eye contact with the professor and be engaged in the lecture,” she says.

Professors have increasingly come to allow laptop use in lectures because many feel the benefits often outweigh whatever distraction the use of the Internet might introduce. In fact, many feel the ability to access information instantaneously thanks to laptops and Internet access aids to the overall quality of the lecture itself. For example, Thomas Durkin, a sociology professor at Northwestern, recalls an incident when a student was able to go to CSPAN to check if the Senate had voted yet on a bill that he was currently discussing. “Twenty years ago, I would have to lecture about that on Friday and today I can incorporate it because it happened just a couple of hours ago,” Durkin says.


Even course readings have become digital as more and more professors are using online alternatives to the physical textbook. “I tried a textbook for a couple years, but found that I was making compromises in the readings,” says Steven Duke, a journalism professor at Northwestern University. Rather than ask his students to buy a textbook, Duke hand selected course readings and made them available to students online. “Having a single textbook was certainly more convenient for me, but it was an unsatisfactory tradeoff for quality and content of the readings. So I dropped the textbook, and selected readings that more narrowly focused on each week’s topic and were timelier,” he explains.

Still, despite the use of online readings and course assignments, physical textbooks are not yet a thing of the past. Follett, a distribution company that sells student resources such as textbooks, is still experiencing large sales in print textbooks, according to Gary Shapiro, senior vice president of Intellectual Properties at Follett Higher Education.

However, seeing the shift to online course readings first-hand, Follett is also experimenting with online resources for students. CafeScribe is Follett’s e-book marketplace and offers a social networking site that allows students from virtual study groups to share notes and insight. “An important factor determining whether a textbook goes digital is demand,” Shapiro says. “Follett will also negotiate deals with key publishers to create digital textbooks.”

According to Gabrielle Zucker, spokesperson for CourseSmart (a leading digital textbook seller), the demand is there. “CourseSmart experienced a 400 percent revenue growth just last year,” says Zucker. In fact, the National Association of College Stores estimates that by 2012, digital textbooks may account for as much as 15 percent of total textbook sales, compared to its current three percent.

Still, many students are not quite sold on going completely digital just yet and have experienced problems in fully adapting to online textbooks and readings. Jonathan Kim, a student at Fullerton College, has purchased online textbooks and is having difficulty getting accustomed to reading in digital format. “I like to write on the text to remind myself of certain concepts,” Kim says. “Also, the online copies usually don’t allow you to print the text.”

Realizing there may still be a few kinks, textbook sellers are trying to solve the problems that arise through switching from print to digital format. “Students can enhance their studies by using features within CourseSmart’s eTextbooks to search, copy and paste, highlight and take notes,” Zucker says. CafeScribe also offers multifunctionality with their eBooks, including annotating and note sharing features. The idea is to eventually offer students tools that are not possible with just a simple textbook.

Other benefits to online textbooks include savings, efficiency and convenience. Students who purchase eTextbooks can save an average of 50 percent of the cost of print textbooks. Accessing online textbooks is quicker than waiting for a print textbook to arrive in the mail. Instead of lugging around a heavy backpack, online textbooks are accessible on mobile devices. Because cell phones are a dominant part of a student’s life, digital textbook sellers are making eBooks available through apps on mobile devices. Students can access their CourseSmart textbooks through the “eTextbook for the iPhone” app. Follett is looking into making CafeScribe available on Smartphones.

Since going completely online is a transition that won’t happen overnight, Follett, along with
companies like Chegg.com and even Barnes and Nobel, are now offering textbook rental
programs to students. Rather than purchase a new or used textbook, students can rent textbooks for a designated amount of time at about half the price of purchase. After a successful pilot program last year, Follett will be offering textbook rentals at 600 campuses this coming September and it is expected that 70 - 80 percent of college students will choose to rent textbooks in the next three to five years.

E-readers & Tablet Computers
Another current emerging digital tool that could possibly revolutionize education are e-readers like the Kindle and tablets like the iPad. The standard Kindle holds 1,500 books and the Amazon bookstore offers 500,000 books. As it stands now, most buy the Kindle for pleasure reading. However, the Kindle is changing the idea of print textbooks as a necessity and provides convenience for students. The e-reader provides portability for online textbooks, which students can take to class. The Kindle is light and has highlighting and note-taking features. The specially designed screen helps your eyes adjust to reading by using e-Ink. Accessing the potential educational benefits to the Kindle, some universities have already begun requiring students to use the handy digital devices. Case Western Reserve University, for example, gives Kindles to students for certain classes like freshman seminars.


Despite the Kindle’s convenience and efficiency, some students are not yet convinced the tool is suited for educational purposes. UCLA student Justin Yu has two textbooks on his Kindle but doesn’t find it to be an educational tool he relies on. “I would say that the real deal will never be replaced. The Kindle has highlighting features and notation tools, but it’s time consuming and harder to access. Plus, the cost of the Kindle makes you think twice about how useful this ‘investment’ actually is. Not only do you have to buy the reader, but the actual books cost around $10 each.”

The price of the Kindle is one of the biggest concerns students have with the device. The standard Kindle costs $299 and the DX model is priced at $489. When compared with the multi-functional iPad’s price of $500, the Kindle seems to fall short.


The iPad is a blend between the portability of a netbook and the form and function of an e-reader. The slim design and bright 9.7 inch LED color screen, which uses the same technology as the iPhone that so many are already familiar with, makes it a good candidate for a reliable educational tool. The wireless network can potentially connect all students in a classroom. In a culture where multimedia and multitasking are valued, the iPad takes people’s varying learning preferences into account. For example, on an iPad, after reading a chapter in an e-textbook, a student can then watch a video on the same topic to reinforce what they’ve read.

Brennan McNally, a Political Science major at UCLA, feels the iPad will definitely influence education. “You can type on it as you would a full keyboard to take notes, do anything online, check email from TAs, read books – Complete Works of Shakespeare for free – and you can search for specific things within it. Suck on that, paper!” says McNally. “Plus, there’s a plethora of applications to be downloaded – interactive periodic tables, calendars and schedules, etc. Honestly, anything you’d really need at your fingertips, all the time.”

Apple has already begun marketing the iPad as an educational tool and is offering a special promotion for academic institutions in which ten-pack bundles of 16GB iPads can be purchased for $4,790. The iPad is also expected to complement Apple’s iTunes U section, which is used by more than 600 universities, including Stanford and Princeton, to post lectures and other materials like PDFs, audiobooks and videos. Professors can even use iTunes U as a class website, where they can post their syllabus and notes.

Although devices like e-Readers and tablet computers will need to be remodeled with improved features to better suit educational purposes, they are introducing a faster, more efficient way of carrying and receiving information. “The introduction of eReaders and other tablet devices has certainly raised awareness of the value they could have on campus with certain students and course areas,” says Zucker.

iPhone Apps
Netbooks, readers and tablets are not the only gadgets students are utilizing for their daily study needs. Mobile phones are also becoming a useful student resource. The iPhone has recently become a tool that students rely on heavily for studying and accessing necessary course information while on the go thanks to its Internet capabilities. “I’d literally die without it,” says UCI student Kayla Khazeni. “Since most professors post their lecture notes or readings on their websites, I can access them from my iPhone without having to bring a laptop.”


Educational iPhone apps have also become popular with students, providing everything from organizers and time management calendars, to interactive study tools. “I use my phone all the time when I need translations, definitions, a calculator and conversions,” says Alex Martinez, a student at UCLA.

Students can find a vast array of educational apps via the iPhone app store. These apps include dictionaries, world maps, language tutors and more. myHomework, for example, is an app that allows you to keep track of your course assignment due dates by simply entering the information into your phone. Flashcard apps like iFlipr are an excellent study tool where students can create their own flashcards to study terms for exams and review the information, via their phone, between lectures. The convenience and price factor is also a plus, as the app is delivered right to your phone, accessible at any time and it’s free. With apps also now available on the iPad, the use of these interactive programs as study tools continues to rise.

Online Courses
While devices and services like e-Readers, tablet computers and phone applications are still working on improving features and functionality to better suit the educational needs of students, they are introducing a faster, more efficient way of joining, surviving and thriving in the academic arena, a concept that is further capitalized on with the rise of online courses and academic programs.

Before the twenty-first century, online courses and universities were practically unheard of. Kaplan University, an online college that prepares students for careers in some of the fastest-growing industries, has grown from 34 students in 2001 to more than 66,000 students today. Kaplan works mostly with adults who are trying to earn higher education degrees to get competitive jobs. Currently, only 16 percent of higher education enrollments are between the ages of 18 and 22. “It’s likely that in the coming years the 18-22-year-old population will already have online education experience and will feel comfortable working in this medium,” says Wade Dyke, President of Kaplan University.


The online Kaplan classroom is surprisingly very similar in style to a traditional college lecture setting (minus the lecture hall). Students use Kaplan’s online classroom to attend audio lectures with their professors, chat with classmates, post to discussion boards and access reading materials, assignments and exams. Kaplan also offers membership to clubs, tutoring and career services. The benefit of this online platform is convenience and flexibility. There are different tools on Kaplan’s online classroom for the visual or audio learner and since accessing the online classroom is possible from anywhere, students can work their education around their lifestyle.

Although some people may think there is less validity in earning a degree from an online university, Kaplan makes sure to meet the same academic requirements as major universities in order to gain credibility. “Kaplan is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the same organization that accredits many of the country’s most prestigious traditional universities. That means that Kaplan University’s curriculum must meet the same level of quality as these institutions,” says Dyke. “The difference is that our curriculum is market-driven, meaning that our programs are designed to train students to work in some of the fastest-growing occupations.”

According to Dyke, Kaplan University is helping to close the “degree gap” by making higher education more accessible to more Americans. In the coming decade, more than 70 million baby boomers will retire. Only 40 million workers will have the education required to take their places. “In order for our country to remain competitive in the global economy, it is critical that more people pursue postsecondary education,” says Dyke.

The Future of Education
So what does the educational landscape of the future look like? From textbooks to lectures, is it only a matter of time before a college education is strictly digital? Futurist Thomas Frey, Executive Director of the Da Vinci Institute, an institute that focuses on research on futurist thinking and inventions, believes classrooms will disappear altogether with the increase of online courses and new technologies designed for educational means. “The people that control the classroom also control the time when learning can take place, the students who will participate, the media used, the tools, the pace, the subject matter, and in many cases, the results,” says Frey.

Classrooms are designed to focus attention, close off the rest of the world, and create a controllable environment where learning can take place. According to Frey, once a college course is converted into online education, it becomes a commodity. As a commodity, it can be reengineered with better graphics and better audio delivered through hand-held devices, and marketed more effectively to different demographic groups. The companies who are already beginning to do this (Apple, Amazon, Google and Microsoft among others) are partnering with universities now but will eventually become competition for universities.

Another issue Frey points out is that college tuition is far too expensive. “They are pricing themselves out of existence. Online education can take place at a fraction of the cost. Many of the courses can be packaged and commoditized and sellers will undercut prices to beat out their competition.”

“Colleges have huge operating budgets and the corporate world is seeing this as fertile territory to make money,” says Frey. “The vultures are already circling.”

By Ivana Wynn and Lorraine K. Lee