More college students buying course materials directly through LMS, report found

The number of students buying course materials directly through their institutions’ learning management systems more than doubled in the last year, according to a report published last week by the online textbook company VitalSource.

Approximately half of the purchases made in the LMS were for digital, rather than print, materials, the report read. This year is first in which students purchased more course materials on digital platforms than in second-hand print, the report added. Approximately half of purchases made through the LMS were for digital, rather than print materials.

Sales of digital materials have grown steadily over the last decade, from 1% of the market in 2013 to 26% of the market in 2023, the report said.