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- E-Readers [x]
- E-Textbooks [x]
- E-Content (19)
- Instructional Technologies (19)
- Libraries and Technology (19)
- Teaching and Learning (19)
- E-Books (13)
- Information Technology Management and Leadership (10)
- Digital Publishing (6)
- Distributed Computing (6)
- Mobile Computing (6)
- Tablets and iPads (4)
- Active Learning (3)
- E-Learning (3)
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- Open Content (2)
- Open Educational Resources (OER) (2)
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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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E-Textbooks: "An Interesting Ride"
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April 15, 2010
© 2010 Paul Musket, Darla Runyon, and Robin Schulze EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 45, no. 2 (March/April 2010): 12-13 Paul Musket ( musketp@missouri.edu ) is Associate Director of t…
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E-Books on Campus: Are We There Yet?
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March 9, 2010
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A session at the NERCOMP Annual Conference 2010
As more and more e-book and e-textbook readers and application are introduced into the market, higher education campuses and libraries are exploring the opportunities to supplement teaching, learni…
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7 Things You Should Know About E-Readers
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March 4, 2010
E-readers are portable, low-power, high-resolution devices that display digital versions of written material from books, magazines, newspapers, and other printed sources. They typically use e-ink…
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Professor Faces Obstacles in Testing E-Reader Device for Digital Textbooks
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January 7, 2010
A professor at the Catholic University of America has been testing a new e-book reader that hasn't yet hit store shelves but that is designed with textbooks in mind. …
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Tune In January 24 -- eTexts: A Perishable Opportunity for Higher Education?
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January 18, 2012
What role, if any, should colleges and universities play in the shift from print to digital textbooks? This free hour-long session, “ eTexts: A Perishable Opportunity for Higher Education? ,…
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E-Readers and E-Textbooks: Current Reality and Future Possibilities
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August 26, 2009
This seminar will initially address the current state of e-reader devices and their functionality as platforms for the delivery of e-textbooks, as experienced by Northwest Missouri State Universi…
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A Campus-Wide E-Textbook Initiative
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July 30, 2009
By Jon T. Rickman, Roger Von Holzen, Paul G. Klute, and Teri Tobin A typical college student spends up to $1,000 per year on textbooks, and many students don’t buy textbooks at all be…
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New ELI 7 Things... Brief Explores Open Textbook Publishing
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March 14, 2011
The open educational resources model, including textbooks, has emerged as a response to rising text prices, a need for greater access to high-quality learning materials, the proliferation o…
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In Conversation: The E-Textbook Conundrum
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December 11, 2009
The e-textbook revolution has been anticipated by campuses to help lower costs for students, add flexibility for instructors, and further engage leaners. But as the technology promises more inter…

















