E-Textbooks

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

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EDUCAUSE Library Items for E-Textbooks

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FCC Telecom Service Provider Accessibility Certification Rules: April 22, 2013

Our friends at ACUTA (the higher education telecommunications administrators association) have posted an alert to colleges and universities that "charge students, tenants, or others for …
USF Reform Comments to the FCC: July 9, 2012

July 9, 2012 comments sent by EDUCAUSE, AAU, ACE, APLU, AASCU, and NACUBO to the Federal Communications Commission about the proposed reform of the Universal Service Fund contribution methodology…
EDUCAUSE Ex Parte Notice for FCC USF Contribution Meeting (4/16/12): April 16, 2012

Ex Parte Notice to the FCC from EDUCAUSE for filing in WC Docket No. 06-122. This letter regards the FCC review of the Universal Service Fund (USF) Contribution Methodology. The letter shares ab…
Letter in Support of Net Neutrality (October 14, 2011): October 14, 2011

Letter sent to Leader Reid, Leader McConnell, Chairman Rockefeller, and Ranking Member Hutchison by the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), and EDUCA…
Comments on Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP): April 13, 2009

DUCAUSE filed comments on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's broadband provisions with the NTIA and RUS in this April 13, 2009 letter. …
Higher Education’s Perspective on Telecommunications Reform: May 1, 2005

Americans depend on the Internet to learn, create, work, conduct business and communicate. This "central nervous system of the information economy" directly enables innovation, producti…
Comments of the Association of Research Libraries, EDUCAUSE, Internet2, NYSERNet, and ACUTA In the matter of Preserving the Open Internet Broadband Industry Practices: January 14, 2010

This is a joint filing (EDUCAUSE along with ARL, Internet2, ACUTA and NYSERNet) to the FCC in the Net Neutrality proceedings. This is a joint fi…
Community Broadband Act of 2007 Sign on Letters: October 1, 2007

EDUCAUSE has once again joined a broad coalition of association, corporations and public interest groups encouraging Congress to pass legislation permitting local governments to build and deploy …
EDUCAUSE signs on to 700 MHz Comments to the FCC: January 1, 2007

As part of the Ad Hoc Public Interest Spectrum Coalition, EDUCAUSE signed on to comments submitted to the FCC regarding the auction rules for the 700 MHz spectrum. This valuable spectrum is expecte…
State Legislative Tracking Chart: January 1, 2007

The EDUCAUSE State Legislative Tracking Chart for the year 2007. This tracking chart focuses mainly on telecommunications issues at the state level. Th…