Audible for colleges and universities – A cheaper alternative
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Looking to upgrade from Audible for colleges and universities? A cheaper alternative with a seamless interface is all you need.
Audible for colleges and universities – A cheaper alternative
If you’re a college student, you can gain a lot from audiobooks. You may rely on Audible because it’s the largest provider of university content, but it might be too expensive. If you need a cheaper audiobook subscription service, this article will recommend an affordable alternative.
What Audible offers for colleges and universities
Physical books and those available on Amazon Kindle might be your go-to learning tools. However, you may also use Audible to access materials. The platform dedicated to college and university students is known as The Great Courses. This Audible service features a large number of audiobooks and Audible Originals that deal with various topics, including:
- Science and math
- History
- Arts and entertainment
- Literature
- Philosophy
- Religion
- Business and economics
The courses are a terrific option if you want to delve deep into new topics at your leisure, especially while multitasking. If you wish to find out more and develop your skills, many titles come with PDF files. These valuable resources can provide additional information about your listening so that you can understand critical points. The Great Courses don’t replace a degree in world history or neurolinguistics, and neither does listening to these audiobooks earn you a qualification or certificate. Nevertheless, they can work great if you need a non-formal environment to explore specific topics without homework. Another excellent feature of the Great Courses is that you can access them at your own pace. Once you start your course, you can engage as much or as little as you want. There’s no pressure to meet deadlines and other issues associated with formal learning. The only problem is that popular titles can be expensive. Unlike platforms that offer public domain audiobooks, Audible rarely offers free audiobooks or discounts.
Are audiobooks good for students?
Despite Audible’s somewhat steep pricing, you still need to access your college or university materials from online bookstores. If you download audiobooks from the Google Play, App Store, Kobo eReader, or other platforms, the benefits you can get from the listening experience are tremendous. Primarily, audiobooks from Libro.FM, Scribd, Libby, and Audiobooks.com can promote higher comprehension than their physical counterparts. This is because you may struggle to decode texts due to low-quality fonts or other problems. Audible books and those bought from Hoopla, Librivox, Spotify, iTunes, or another Audible alternative are superior to physical books in this respect. They enable you to focus on the meaning of the content rather than force you to decode individual words. As a result, the chances of understanding the full meaning of your short stories are much higher with the Audiobook format. Besides improving comprehension, audiobooks can also elicit emotions more effectively than traditional textbooks, which is essential for college learning. Listening to human-like voices telling a story is a memorable experience you’re certain to find emotional and engaging. Many studies show that even if you have a hard time engaging in lessons, you’re more likely to participate in discussions when someone reads a book aloud. The reason is simple – listening to new books is more stimulating than reading. Hence, they encourage you to think critically about the content and be more productive. Furthermore, listening to an array of narrators exposes you to a wide range of accents and dialects. Familiar speech may be the safest option in terms of comprehension. But if you’re an advanced student, audiobooks allow you to listen to practically any accent, which can be of great help when researching a topic. For example, suppose you’re taking a course in English literature and need to write a book report on an Irish title. Listening to the content can be better than reading it because the narrator can convey certain emotions through their dialect you wouldn’t pick up from a physical book. Additionally, audiobook playlists can improve your educational independence. Many apps allow you to control your audio speed, the start and end points, available titles, and many more features. There are other advantages to listening to non-fiction new releases and bestsellers. Whether you keep your Audible membership or use Nook, DownPour, OverDrive’s library card model, or a Chirp audiobook subscription, the best audiobooks can enhance your learning experience, including by the following:
- They encourage you to enjoy books, which can make many subjects easier to understand.
- Listening to audiobooks at an appropriate pace helps you hear words clearly and develop your vocabulary.
- Audiobooks are a great way to introduce yourself to texts that cover different subjects and make yourself more confident when reading.
- Listening to non-DRM books is better than reading Kindle Books since it helps you analyze the content more easily and appreciate the meaning.
- Audiobooks familiarize you with diverse genres on your curriculum you would hardly explore otherwise.
- Listening to audiobooks is a seamless experience you can perform while brushing your teeth, doing the dishes, taking notes, and doing other tasks.
- You can learn the pronunciation of tricky works in foreign languages, as many audiobook platforms feature narrators from different countries.
- Engaging with audiobooks boosts your confidence and provides a massive sense of accomplishment.
- Many audiobook solutions have sleep timers that determine when your titles stop playing. They allow you to pick up right where you left off before you had a snooze.
Try Speechify for all student audiobook needs
While Audible can be a good choice for your learning needs, the relatively higher price can be a problem. Fortunately, there’s an affordable platform that lets you borrow audiobooks without denting your budget – Speechify for Businesses and Schools. Although it’s primarily meant for companies, it can benefit your university learning. It has a huge selection of books that cover engaging topics, such as productivity, brand building, finance, history, and philosophy. It’s also easy to use, even if you’re a beginner. Check out Speechify for Businesses and Schools and facilitate more efficient studying.
FAQ
Can Amazon Prime members use Audible for free?
No. Amazon Prime members can’t use Audible for free, be they iOS or Android users. Unlocking unlimited access to Audible’s local library of books and podcasts requires a separate subscription.
What is a good audiobook for students?
There are many good audiobooks for college audiobook listeners, like The Power of Habit, Mindshift, and Deep Work. Speechify lets you listen to some of these on your Apple iPhone, laptop, and any other device.
Is Audible worth it?
Audible can be a great audiobook service if you don’t mind paying a slightly higher price for your monthly subscription. Some other audiobook apps are cheaper.
Cliff Weitzman
Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.