Replacing Printed Course Materials with Electronic Copies in an Open University

The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) is a public institution that employs open and distance e-learning. Since UPOU was established in 1995, course materials in printed form have always been necessary to courses. When a student enrols in a course, a printed course module is delivered to the student. However, in 2013, in line with the university’s commitment to the principle of openness in education as well as the preservation of the environment, it was mandated that instead of printed copies, electronic copies in portable document format (PDF) of course materials shall be provided to students. To cater students who prefer printed copies, an online store was set up to allow students to buy printed course modules. This study aims to analyze the activity in the online store and determine whether electronic copies of course materials can ultimately replace printed ones at the UP Open University. Sales data was collected from the online store, customers were profiled, and possible correlations between the customer profiles and sales data were summarized.