Is education more effective through digital tools or through traditional print books? The anecdotal debate is loud, but a number of recent studies are starting to clear the dust. What is also becoming clear is that the goal of the learning matters just as much as the format used to deliver it.
Reading consumption
There is no question that more material can be consumed, faster and across a wider range, in digital form. People scan information far more quickly online than in print. That works well for training where a large amount of material has to be covered in a short time, even with flashcards. It does not mean, however, that retention for practical use keeps pace with consumption.
Retention
Retention of new information is better with print. Studies have found that, when it comes to truly absorbing a principle, print forces the brain to process the information into memory. That improves retention and recall when the lesson is needed again in a test or quiz. So the trade-off for the volume of digital consumption is that print sticks in the student’s mind much better.
Convenience
Let’s face it: lugging around a library of print books is no picnic. Many a student’s back and arms have ached from dragging a backpack full of books every day, only to read a few pages at a time. Digital puts an entire library at your fingertips on a tablet, and a backlit screen can be read in any environment. Unlike a book, a digital title comes with its own light source and built-in features, so students can study in many more situations. Multimedia also lets one reading session serve several learning styles. Skyscape’s apps, for example, combine multimedia with calculation tools so nursing students can practice the theory in the same session they read it.
Cost
Students are extremely sensitive to cost, and the price of print educational materials is hard to justify in many situations. The retention advantage is lost if print is so expensive a student can’t get the book at all. Digital makes renting and borrowing easy, breaking the cost barrier into more affordable layers, so students at every income level can access far more than print ever allowed.
Performance
Interestingly, most students score in the same range whether they study from print or digital. There are exceptions, but most studies found little difference in scores or grades between the two formats. Where tests involve cognitive reasoning and deduced answers, print has the edge, again because of retention. That may change as more multimedia training engages cognitive work rather than just scanning text.
Given all of this, it’s easy to see how what is expected of a student decides whether an ebook or a print book is more effective. Understanding that underlying goal is critical to any objective comparison of which format is better for education.