Electronic Textbooks

E-books are being widely adopted as alternatives to traditional textbooks. Here you'll find articles detailing new developments in the area of e-book and e-textbook technologies, along with stories about institutions adopting them.


college student studying with laptop

Houston CC System Expands OER Use Across All Campuses

In an effort to increase the use of open educational resources across its nine campuses, the Houston Community College System is partnering with OER provider panOpen.

Perceivant Adds Courseware Access, Notifications to Mobile App

Education technology company Perceivant has updated the mobile app that works with its digital courseware. The newest version of BearTracks enables students to access courseware from the mobile application and receive push notifications.

hand pulling tablet off bookshelf of books

Barnes & Noble Ed Moves FirstDay Access to VitalSource

Two major players in the curriculum segment have signed on to work with each other. The platform produced by VitalSource for delivering digital curriculum will be used by Barnes & Noble Education for its BNC FirstDay access.

OpenStax textbooks

More than Half of All U.S. Colleges and Universities Using OpenStax Textbooks

This year, 56 percent of all colleges and universities in the United States are using free textbooks from OpenStax in at least one course.

IBM Adds Quantum Computing Resources

IBM is making enhancements to its open source quantum computing development kit designed for researchers and educators.

shelves of books on laptop screen

Program Offers Free Textbook Subscriptions to HBCU Students

Learning materials company Cengage has partnered with the United Negro College Fund to provide free semester-long textbook subscriptions to 1,000 students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

closeup of hands typing on laptop

Cengage Adds Free Password Management to Subscription Service

Cengage is now offering free password management for users of its Cengage Unlimited textbook subscription service.

stack of open textbooks

Rental Textbook Usage on the Rise as New/Used Pricing Flutters

Alongside a report from the National Association of College Stores on declining costs for course material, another source for tracking down college textbooks has released its own data, suggesting that textbook pricing isn't necessarily on the slide.

Combined spending on course materials, tech and school supplies

Report: Student Spending on College Course Materials in Decline

For the first time in a long time, combined spending over the academic year on course materials, technology and school supplies came in under $1,000, according to a recent survey by the National Association of College Stores.

college student holding textbooks

Austin Peay Tests Day One Access to E-Books

This summer, Tennessee’s Austin Peay State University is piloting a program to put textbooks in the hands of students from the first day of class.