5 Institutions Pilot E-textbooks
Students and faculty at Cornell, University of Minnesota, University of Virginia, University of Wisconsin, and University of California, Berkeley will be test driving digital textbooks this spring using eText Pilot Trial Pack from Internet2, McGraw-Hill, and Courseload. The pilot is based on Indiana University's e-textbook model.
Each of the five institutions will receive McGraw-Hill e-textbooks as well as the Courseload reader and annotation platform integrated with the institution's learning management system. The Courseload software enables students to print from the e-text, create and share notes with other users, and access the e-textbooks on any tablet, smartphone, or computer that supports HTML5.
The participating universities will also take part in a joint research study on the perception and use of digital textbooks. Since the universities are subsidizing the study, students will receive their e-textbooks at no charge. Students may also choose to order a print-on-demand version for $28.
Internet2 is a consortium of 221 U.S. colleges and universities that aggregates the IT needs of member institutions and contracts with commercial firms for services customized for the research and education community.
About the Author
Kanoe Namahoe is online editor for 1105 Media's Education Group. She can be reached at [email protected].