Blackwell’s Learning Resource Survey – Students Prefer Printed Textbooks
Blackwell’s Bookshops has published our second annual Learning Resource Survey. We have interviewed and surveyed Higher Education professionals and students across the UK, from Aberdeen to Exeter and including University of Lincoln, to understand more about attitudes to, and experiences of, the provision of textbooks and other learning materials across UK Universities. Our survey results cut through the noise created by the Ed-tech industry to confirm that students increasingly value the concentration benefits of printed texts in a life full of digital interruption.
Our results provide clear evidence as to the positive impact on textbook sales a Blackwell’s campus bookshop achieves, information which should prove interesting to both university leaders and textbook publishers.
Our key findings are:
• 88% of lecturers use textbooks in their classroom, making textbooks the prime educational resource
• 76% of students state a clear preference for printed textbooks on a level playing field of cost
• Lecturers believe printed textbooks are superior educationally, when compared to eBooks and digital courseware
• Value matters – 70% of lecturers recommend Blackwell’s because of our Student Price Match offer, while 61% of students cite this as their prime reason to purchase there
Will Williams, Head of Academic Sales for Blackwell’s Bookshops commented: “It isn’t a surprise for Blackwell’s to find students continue to prefer printed textbooks over ‘e’ equivalents, our survey results merely confirm this for another year. Our survey results also demonstrate the positive contribution made by our bookshop teams in ensuring that our campus bookshops are supported by lecturers, and are our students’ preferred destination for textbook purchase.”
Phil Henderson, Sales and Marketing Director, added: “In an increasingly confused Higher Education resource market, it’s great to see confirmation of the simple fact that both students and lecturers are overwhelmingly supportive of the traditional textbook. Our role in the life of the institutions and customers we serve is to be their welcoming, friendly experts and to ensure every customer receives the right book to meet their needs – this is our bookselling heritage and remains at the heart of what we do every day online and in all of our shops across the country.”
Access to our full report is here: https://issuu.com/blackwell/docs/blackwells_learning_resource_survey_2020
About Blackwell’s Academic Shops
Blackwell’s is the UK’s last remaining physical academic bookseller of scale, with bookshops located in 21 campus or University locations across the UK and operating seasonal bookshops in many more. Blackwell’s is a unique retailer in terms of the closeness of partnership we form, with both academics and publishers, in order to meet students’ textbook needs. Our website offers convenient access to over 18 million titles, delivered where customers want them, in addition to the carefully curated selection of titles in our shops.
Contact Will Williams, Head of Academic Sales
Email: will.williams@blackwells.co.uk