VitalSource E-Textbook Platform Coming to Blackboard Learn
Ingram's electronic textbook platform, VitalSource Bookshelf , is making its way to Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Mobile Learn.
At the BbWorld 2012 event happening this week in New Orleans, Blackboard and Ingram reported that the integration, once completed, will provide "students and faculty one-click access to Vital Source's ... e-textbook platform directly within Blackboard Learn." VitalSource Bookshelf is in use in about 6,000 campuses around the world with about 2.2 million registered users, according to information released by the companies. The service offers about 80,000 individual titles.
"With the integration, there would be no extra software for users to install, no separate logins and passwords to remember," said Kent Freeman, chief operating officer of Vital Source, in a prepared statement. "You get immediate access to the digital copies of your textbooks, and they are an integral part of your Blackboard Learn courses."
Other will features include:
- Support for desktop and mobile editions of Learn;
- The ability to preview textbooks and other learning objects and add them to assignments and activities within Blackboard courses;
- One-click access to VitalSource Bookshelf within Blackboard Learn; and
- Analytics, including the ability to track use of e-textbooks.
Students will be able to access their books online and offline across platforms, including devices running Mac OS X, Windows, Android, and iOS.
Blackboard has not said when the new functionality will be in general release. Additional details can be found on Blackboard's site.