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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

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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A sustainable future for open textbooks? The Flat World Knowledge story
August 3, 2010

Authors John L. Hilton III and David A. Wiley discuss the concern many college students and their families have a=about the high costs of textbooks. E–books have been proposed as one potential …
Access to Knowledge as a Foundation for an Open World
August 5, 2010

© 2010 Carolina Rossini. The text of this article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ). EDUCAUSE Review , vol. 45, n…
To Share or Not to Share: Is That the Question?
August 5, 2010

© 2010 Maria H. Andersen. The text of this article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/). …
Through the Open Door: Open Courses as Research, Learning, and Engagement
August 5, 2010

© 2010 Dave Cormier and George Siemens. The text of this article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ). EDUCAUSE Revie…
Questioning the Future of the Open Student
August 5, 2010

© 2010 2010 Vicki Davis. The text of this article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ ).…
Openness as Catalyst for an Educational Reformation
August 5, 2010

© 2010 David Wiley. The text of this article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ ). EDUCAUSE Review , vol. 45, no…
EDUCAUSE Review Magazine, Volume 45, Number 4, July/August 2010
August 5, 2010

EDUCAUSE Review Volume 45, Number 4 July/August 2010   Open features The Open Future Openness as Catalyst for an Educational Ref…
The Horizon Report in Action: Deploying Innovation Locally
October 13, 2010 | A session at the EDUCAUSE 2010 Annual Conference

Wondering what's new in mobile computing, electronic books, and open content? Join members of ACTL, the Advisory Committee on Teaching and Learning, as they review the Horizon Report and e…

Creating Open Educational Resource (OER) Content Playlists as Textbook Alternatives
October 15, 2010 | A session at the EDUCAUSE 2010 Annual Conference

The increasing cost of textbooks and instructional materials has limited access to education for many. This presentation will provide one response to this challenge, namely, the development of a co…

Horizon Report 2010: Projects in E-Books, Open Content, Mobile Learning, and Augmented Reality
July 12, 2010

This web seminar includes speakers representing six projects featured in the latest Horizon Report . In this special one-and-a-half hour ELI webinar, you’ll be taken on a tour of their work …

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