Appalachian State University announced the launch of its new digital rental program. This way, students will now be able to download digital versions of their textbooks and class materials on smartphones and tablets. This ensures ease in accessibility of the ebooks so that the students can continue with their studies unabated. The students will also get to save on cost, time, and effort in procuring the eBook or other materials needed.
This perhaps is also the biggest makeover that the App State’s decades-old rental system has ever undergone. Been in operation for more than 80 years – the rental program has been in existence since 1938 – it happens to be one of the oldest in the United States and is one of only two such systems in place.
The change is also in line with the institute’s aim of allowing all have equal access to all that the institute has to offer. For access to the eBooks or other reading material, students will have to dole out $250 per semester. This is the only amount the students will have to pay and will let them have access to all eBooks they will need for the same cost.
This makes it a lot more cost-effective considering that earlier, students had to pay $156 per semester and that provided for just one textbook for each course. Eventually, it cost each student around $1,113 for books or other related stuff for the 2019 – 20 academic year. Also, the high costs involved also made it difficult for some to procure the books needed. This led many to either delay the purchase or not buy it at all, leading to less than ideal preparation for exams.
The App State revealed more than 6.800 students have already been part of the rental program during this year’s summer sessions while only 2 percent have opted out of it.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
