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- Copyright Infringement [x]
- Information Technology Management and Leadership [x]
- Policy and Law [x]
- Copyright (29)
- Federal Policy and Law (29)
- Intellectual Property (29)
- P2P File Sharing (19)
- Online Piracy (17)
- Students (13)
- Networking and Emerging Technologies (8)
- Federal Funding for IT (6)
- Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) (6)
- Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) (5)
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With the cost of textbooks soaring, many colleges and universities are looking to alternatives to the traditional paper text. The electronic textbook field is still emerging, and higher education is experimenting with the concept in various modes. Explore this resource site—a collection of all EDUCAUSE resources related to E-Textbooks.
EDUCAUSE and Internet2 E-Text Pilots
EDUCAUSE and Internet2 are implementing a series of e-text pilot efforts with colleges and universities to evaluate technologies and business models in the fast evolving migration from traditional textbooks to electronic content. Learn More >
E-Texts Constituent Group
Intended for general discussion in addition to news about the pilot, the E-Texts Constituent Group discusses the rapidly evolving domain of digital textbooks, multimedia supplements, tutorial websites, e-reader/annotation software, and related materials. Learn More >
New Resources
- 7 Things You Should Know About the Evolution of the Textbook, ELI 7 Things, April 2012. This resource examines a new breed of rich-media publishing tools that offer an evolving set of opportunities both for the creation process and for the kinds of resources that can be produced.
- Developing a Digital Textbook Strategy for Your Campus, Florida Distance Learning Consortium, February 2012. This one-day symposium examined institution and state level digital textbook initiatives, including national trends and prevailing models for both publisher digital textbooks and open textbooks.
- eTexts: A Perishable Opportunity for Higher Education?, EDUCAUSE Live!, January 24, 2012 - This EDUCAUSE Live! program addressd the strategic, business, and policy implications for institutions in light of a changing world of consumer electronics and new models for digital educational resources such as eTexts, website tutorials, and other licensed content.
Articles, Papers, and Reports
- A Study of Four Textbook Distribution Models, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, December 2011. In preparation for campus-wide e-text adoption, Daytona State College completed a two-year comparative study of four textbook distribution models: print purchase, print rental, e-text rental, and e-text rental with e-reader device.
- Digital Texts and the Future of Education: Why Books?, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, March 2011. Abilene Christian University and GYLO partnered to investigate student attitudes and perceptions of the impact of using a mobile device as a supplemental tool for teaching statistics.
- 7 Things You Should Know About Open Textbook Publishing, ELI 7 Things, March 2011. Open textbooks can be offered by commercial publishers or found in open repositories. Open resources can promote active learning through student interaction with the text, particularly when they contribute to authorship.
- A Cover to Cover Solution: How Open Textbooks are the Path to Textbook Affordability, Student PIRGs, September 2010. This report evaluates cost-reducing options from the traditional textbook market—rentals, e-books and e-readers—and open textbooks as potential next steps to reduce the high cost of textbooks.
- E-Textbooks: “An Interesting Ride”, EDUCAUSE Review, March/April 2010. An interview conducted at the EDUCAUSE 2009 Annual Conference about the use of digital textbooks in higher education.
- E-Books in Higher Education: Are We There Yet?, ECAR Research Bulletin, January 2010. This ECAR research bulletin presents an update to the rapidly changing e-book and e-textbook landscape and provides some higher education stakeholders with a clearer view of the road ahead.
- A Campus-Wide E-Textbook Initiative, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, July 2009. This article focuses on the process that Northwest Missouri State University followed in studying the feasibility of transitioning from the rental of traditional textbooks to the rental of e-textbooks, along with the extensive integration of e-textbooks across the university’s academic environment.
Presentations, Podcasts, Seminars, and Videos
- Got Open Textbook? ELI Online Fall Focus Session, September 2011. This session speaker discusses resource discovery, implementation issues, and the pros and cons of using open-source materials and concludes with some recommendations applicable for any stage of open-source resource adoption.
- Textbook Affordability: Emerging Solutions in Ohio, ELI Web Seminar, March 2011. This webinar discusses why textbook costs have skyrocketed; how textbook costs impact students, faculty, and institutions; and current initiatives by the University System of Ohio to address textbook affordability and learning outcomes.
- Digital Content in Higher Education—Practical Findings, ELI Web Seminar, March 2011. This webinar provides an overview of the digital textbook landscape as it currently exists and a glimpse into the emerging trends that will shape higher education digital content in the near future.
EDUCAUSE Staff Picks
- 7 Things You Should Know About the Evolution of the Textbook, ELI 7 Things, April 2012. This resource examines a new breed of rich-media publishing tools that offer an evolving set of opportunities both for the creation process and for the kinds of resources that can be produced.
- eTexts: A Perishable Opportunity for Higher Education?, EDUCAUSE Live!, January 24, 2012 - This EDUCAUSE Live! program addressd the strategic, business, and policy implications for institutions in light of a changing world of consumer electronics and new models for digital educational resources such as eTexts, website tutorials, and other licensed content.
- A Study of Four Textbook Distribution Models, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, December 2011. In preparation for campus-wide e-text adoption, Daytona State College completed a two-year comparative study of four textbook distribution models: print purchase, print rental, e-text rental, and e-text rental with e-reader device.
- 7 Things You Should Know About Open Textbook Publishing, ELI 7 Things, March 2011. Open textbooks can be offered by commercial publishers or found in open repositories. Open resources can promote active learning through student interaction with the text, particularly when they contribute to authorship.
Library Items on this Topic
EDUCAUSE Library Items for E-Textbooks
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To Maus or Not to Maus: Technically, That Is the Question
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May 6, 2013
Key Takeaways What should a Maus book owner do when he can't access the multiple copies he owns on all his various devices, including the newest, an iPad ? In …
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The Next Great Copyright Act
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March 20, 2013
On March 20, 2013, Register of Copyrights, Maria Pallante, testified before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet where she advocate…
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Higher Education & Entertainment Industry Discuss Implementation of HEOA Peer-to-Peer Provisions, April 2012
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April 19, 2012
On April 11, 2012, members of the higher education community and representatives from the entertainment industry met in Washington DC for a one-day bilateral forum jointly sponsored by EDUCAUSE …
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7 Things You Should Know About the P2P Provisions of the HEOA
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May 24, 2010
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) includes a number of provisions that require colleges and universities to take specific actions to limit the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted m…
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Fighting a Copyright Charge
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March 4, 2010
UCLA says it will start streaming videos on course Web sites again -- despite legal threats from an educational media trade group. UCLA says it …
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Textbooks for the Disabled
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August 28, 2009
Publishers open an online system designed to replace the tedious, costly and lawsuit-ridden process of supplying disabled students with course materials. …
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The Future of the Internet III
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December 14, 2008
A survey of internet leaders, activists and analysts shows they expect major tech advances as the phone becomes a primary device for online access, voice-recognition improves, artificial and virt…
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Cyber Ethics: A Values-Based Approach
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October 31, 2008
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A session at the EDUCAUSE 2008 Annual Conference
Whether they're downloading music, videos, and software or updating their profiles on social networking sites, students are bombarded by a host of ethical issues online. Clarkson has embarked …
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Digging Deep with P2P: Understanding Students' Media Habits
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October 30, 2008
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A session at the EDUCAUSE 2008 Annual Conference
Illinois State University's Digital Citizen Project teamed up with Carnegie Mellon University researchers to conduct multidisciplinary qualitative and quantitative analysis and studies of data…
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The Campus Costs of P2P Compliance
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October 20, 2008
This paper reports the results of a summer 2008 survey designed to address the campus costs of compliance with the new P2P filesharing mandates in reauthorized Higher Education Act (HEA) that was…

















