University costs

studentphil

What do other people think to universities putting basic course stuff like handouts online instead of giving you printed copies? It seems somewhat wrong to expect students to pay for printing off the basic course stuff.

It really seems like backhanded cost cutting on universities parts.

louloubelle79

i KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN THIS ANNOYS ME We have to print off booklets, all the time from our WebCt from our Uni and i have got through stacks of paper!!

studentphil

You know if you said copy me half a book on the uni account then I could understand it. But handbooks and handouts are the lowest level thing and it seems that you should not be having to pay for copies of these things.

pinkfluffybabe

Perhaps they are trying to help the environment by providing it electronically so that not everyone prints it out.

studentphil

pinkfluffybabe wrote:

Perhaps they are trying to help the environment by providing it electronically so that not everyone prints it out.

Yeah, but you have to use power to go online and paper and ink to print them, so you are still use as many resources as the university printing them.
But student pockets cost not university;)

Diminutive

My university usually does both... handouts with electronic copies available, which is useful if you lose them or want to add/change things.
I guess it does seem rather cheap of the university if they don't provide handouts, especially considering the fees we pay.

Oldernotwiser

studentphil wrote:

Yeah, but you have to use power to go online and paper and ink to print them, so you are still use as many resources as the university printing them.
But student pockets cost not university;)

I think that you're missing the point that was being made, ie only print things if essential. Online resources are meant to be just that; you don't need to print everything off.

studentphil

Oldernotwiser wrote:

I think that you're missing the point that was being made, ie only print things if essential. Online resources are meant to be just that; you don't need to print everything off.

I would say lecture handouts were pretty basic not an extra, but there you go.

pinkfluffybabe

studentphil wrote:

I would say lecture handouts were pretty basic not an extra, but there you go.

But do you NEED them printed, or could you just read them online. That is what I was trying to get at.

Oldernotwiser

This seems to be a thread where the younger people want to have resources on paper and those of us who are older have grasped the idea of putting things online rather better.

studentphil

pinkfluffybabe wrote:

But do you NEED them printed, or could you just read them online. That is what I was trying to get at.

I think you can not highlight stuff very well on a screen and you can not just pick it up and read it at any time regardless of if you are on a PC. Paper has many advantages.