Shaping the path to digital: The Indiana University eTexts initiative
Published | May 2012 |
Series | Game changers: Education and information technologies Chapter Case Study 21, Pages 373-380 |
Publisher | EDUCAUSE Publications |
Editor | Oblinger, Diana. G. |
ABSTRACT
The rising cost of college textbooks has long been a burden for students, often motivating them to seek creative ways to get around this expense. Though digital textbooks—with their ability to provide cheaper, easier, and better access to content—have been around for years, the use of digital textbooks for academic purposes is still not widespread.We are now in an era of great progress for digital textbooks and digital learning experiences, collectively referred to here as e-texts. Because costs are the most salient issue, new approaches are needed that work on the root causes of textbook prices for students. Early 2012 began with three promising developments:
First, federal and state governments—along with private philanthropy—are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in freely available open educational resources (OER). These resources are being targeted at required, high-enrollment courses where they can have broad impact for all types of institutions.
Second, Apple and other firms are bringing forth new technologies and business models in a bid to transform the textbook industry.
Third, some institutions are using their experiences from volume software buying to change the pricing terms for e-texts in a sustainable win-win way for students, authors, and publishers.
This case study focuses on the third approach as it went from pilot study to full implementation at Indiana University (IU) and is now in a trial phase at five peer institutions.
Keywords | case study · digital textbooks · e-readers · research · technology · textbooks |
Language | eng |
ISSN | 978-1-933046-00-6 |
Rights | by-nc-nd/3.0 |
URL | http://www.educause.edu/Resources/GameChangersEducationandInform/CaseStudy21ShapingthePathtoDig/250669 |
Export options | BibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar |
Viewed by 69 distinct readers
CLOUD COMMUNITY REVIEWS
The evaluations below represent the judgements of our readers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cloud editors.
Click a star to be the first to rate this document
▶ POST A COMMENT
SIMILAR RECORDS
The promise of open access textbooks: A model for success
Henderson, Susie; Nelson, David
Can open textbooks provide a viable solution to the high cost of textbooks? Are open textbooks quality books? What will encourage faculty to develop or adopt open textbooks? What is a book? How do students prefer to ...
Match: case study; research; textbooks
OER re-use student survey (January 2011)
Stapleton, Steve; Horton, John; Beggan, Andy
This report presents supporting information for the case study gathered by the Open Nottingham team:
1. Information about the impressions of users regarding the quality of the document that was produced (Section ...
Match: case study; research; textbooks
RIPOFF 101: How the current practices of the textbook industry drive up the cost of college textbooks
Fairchild, Merriah; California Student Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG)
With student and faculty complaints about the price of college textbooks on the rise, the California Student Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG) and the ...
Match: case study; research; textbooks
A cover-to-cover solution: How open textbooks are the path to textbook affordability
Allen, Nicole; Student PIRGS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
College textbook prices have skyrocketed in recent years, threatening the affordability and accessibility of higher education in America. The average student spends $900 on textbooks annually, which ...
Match: e-readers; research; textbooks
Open Educational Resources: The value of reuse in higher education
White, David; Manton, Marion
From the introduction:
"The approach of the study was broad and highly qualitative; focusing on what motivates the reuse (or rejection) of digital resources found on the web, and exploring factors that staff and ...
Match: case study; research
The open course library of the Washington State colleges
Caswell, Tom; Oblinger, Diana. G.
This case study describes an initiative of the Washington State community and technical colleges called the Open Course Library (OCL). The Open Course Library is a large-scale curriculum redesign effort leveraging a ...
Match: case study; research
Open Transferable Technology-enabled Educational Resources (OTTER) Project: Stakeholder Views on OER
Nikoi, Samuel K.
This research report is based on data gathered from staff, students and senior managers at the University of Leicester and students from the University College of Falmouth, as well as Librarians in the East Midlands on ...
Match: case study; research
The Saylor.org model
Shoop, Jennifer; Oblinger, Diana. G.
Saylor.org is an open-access online-learning platform that provides self-paced college-level courseware to the public free of charge. The site is funded and maintained by The Saylor Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit ...
Match: case study; research
Connected: Online mentoring in Facebook for final year digital media students
McCarthy, Josh; Okada, Alexandra; Connolly, Teresa; Peters, Scott
This study explores the efficacy of open educational resources and online social network sites in linking digital media students with industry through an e-mentoring scheme, to enhance employment prospects and promote ...
Match: case study; research
OpenCourseWare
Forward, Mary Lou; Oblinger, Diana. G.
OpenCourseWare (OCW) and open educational resources (OER) are based on the simple yet powerful idea that free and open sharing in education can drive improvements in teaching and learning around the world. Sharing this ...
Match: case study; research