Student satisfaction with textbook usage at distance education institutions versus media at more traditional/residential universities

Abstract

One of the initiatives that universities across the world have embarked on is to investigate students’ dependence on textbooks and their satisfaction with the textbooks they use. The purpose of this research paper was to determine to what extent students in South Africa use textbooks in their studies. Students from various academic institutions participated in the survey-based research. The results indicate a strong reliance on the textbook as a study resource with limited differences between the University of South Africa (Unisa), as an open distance learning (ODL) institution, and the more traditional/residential universities. The results offer a number of proposals for the use and development of textbooks and other supporting resources.