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

View All

EDUCAUSE Library Items for E-Textbooks

Showing 1 - 10 of 641 Results

Sort by:

Relevancy | Title | Date

What Does BYOE Mean for IT?: IT Leader Roundtable: May 15, 2013

The bring-your-own-everything (BYOE) phenomenon continues to gain momentum as more students, faculty, and staff use personal devices and services on campus. The person who previously brou…
Assessing Your Fiscal Bandwidth: Current Practices for Measuring IT Costs in Higher Education: May 14, 2013

Accurately and consistently measuring the cost of IT in higher education is an essential part of strategic IT management, yet according to IT leaders, cost data have proven elusive. What if a…
Enterprise Content-Aware DLP Solution Comparison and Select Vendor Profiles: May 14, 2013

This Gartner report covers content-aware data-loss prevention, which has grown up and is on the verge of becoming a standard part of security architecture. A small set of vendors dominate a major…
Using Analytics at UMBC: Encouraging Student Responsibility and Identifying Effective Course Designs: April 30, 2013

Higher education invests considerable resources into technology for academic purposes, but understanding whether those instructional technologies improve learning is often a difficult questio…
Leading a Multiple Project Mobile Learning Initiative: The Approach at Boise State University: April 9, 2013

Many colleges and universities have launched wide-ranging, device-specific mobile initiatives or invested substantial resources to make services mobile friendly in a platform-neutral manner…
Is Our Software Designed for Change? Successes and Challenges in Using Service Oriented Architecture: March 11, 2013

Institutions of higher education face disruptive changes, and changes in information technology are at the heart of these disruptions. Service oriented architecture (SOA ) provides a comprehen…
Optimizing Computing Infrastructure: Weighing Factors and Identifying Solutions: March 1, 2013

So, you've identified the problem and maybe even a set of possible solutions for your IT project. How do you decide which solution will best meet the needs of your campus or IT organization?…
ACTI Data Management Glossary: February 27, 2013

The ACTI Data Management Working Group has published a Data Management Glossary that identifies common terms in data management. It is the hopes that this glossary will be a growing document …
Measuring User Satisfaction: Why It’s Important and How to Do It - Infographic: August 16, 2012

As institutions look to reduce or contain costs, CIOs, institutional leaders, and service managers are challenged to optimize service delivery based on costs, features, and quality. Evaluating se…
IT Salaries in Higher Education, 2012: February 15, 2013

IT salaries account for 39% of the IT budget . They compensate IT staff, whose performance lays the groundwork for an efficiently run institution that provides the highest quality education an…

Main Nav

Publications

Research

Major Conferences

Online Events

Special Topic Events

Events for all Levels and Interests

Career Center

Leadership and Management Programs

Fellowships and Awards

Getting Involved

Jump Start Your Career Growth

Latest Topics

EDUCAUSE organizes its efforts around three IT Focus Areas

Join These Programs If Your Focus Is

From the Blogs

Find Others

Share Ideas

Get on the Higher Ed IT Map

2013 Strategic Priorities

Membership

Who We Are

Stay Informed

Uncommon Thinking for the Common Good™

< EDUCAUSE Library

Subscribe

Browse this Topic

Expand Topic...

Related Topics