Print vs. electronic readings in college courses: Cost-efficiency and perceived learning

• We survey 101 undergraduates about their usage of electronically accessed readings.
• Despite self-printing costs, e-reserves are cost-efficient for most students.
• A majority preferred electronically accessed over printed readings.
• Respondents overwhelmingly perceived the advantage of e-reserves to be cost.
• Respondents said they usually study/learn more when printed readings are supplied.

We report surveys of 101 students in two undergraduate college courses about their use of required readings accessed via a university-administered electronic reserve system. About two-thirds of respondents printed at least some readings, although nearly half of the total pages were read online. Most students who printed incurred substantially lower total costs (in terms of both direct printing expense and time opportunity costs) than the projected price of a printed and bound coursepack with all of the readings—thus suggesting electronic provision to be cost-efficient for most students. Respondents reported an overall preference for electronically supplied readings. The advantage of electronic reserves was overwhelmingly perceived to be cost, but large majorities said they usually read more, and learned more, when printed readings are supplied. These findings suggest that university and student incentives to employ electronically supplied readings may be misaligned.