Barnes & Noble Ed Moves FirstDay Access to VitalSource

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 09/13/19
hand pulling tablet off bookshelf of books

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.

FirstDay is a licensing model in which institutions contract with BNED to give students immediate access to their course materials through the learning management system by or before the first day of class. The schools negotiate for deeper discounts on the curriculum in return for guaranteeing that every student in the course, program or institution will be a customer.

Under the new arrangement, BNED will begin using VitalSource's software to host access to the class materials.

"In addition to allowing us to respond to our customers' needs, this model also drives increased penetration rates for BNED course materials sales," said BNED CEO Michael Huseby, in a statement. "Transitioning our platform to VitalSource's state-of-the-art technology allows us to accelerate and optimize BNC FirstDay implementations."

He added that the "long-term partnership" would also enable his company to focus on its "core strength — providing exceptional service and support to students, faculty, academic leaders and administration."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • stacks of glowing digital documents with circuit patterns and data streams

    Mistral AI Introduces AI-Powered OCR

    French AI startup Mistral AI has launched Mistral OCR, an advanced optical character recognition (OCR) API designed to convert printed and scanned documents into digital files with "unprecedented accuracy."

  • open laptop in a college classroom with holographic AI icons like a brain and data charts rising from the screen

    4 Ways Universities Are Using Google AI Tools for Learning and Administration

    In a recent blog post, Google shared an array of education customer stories, showcasing ways institutions are using AI tools like Gemini and NotebookLM to transform both learning and administrative tasks.

  • a professional worker in business casual attire interacting with a large screen displaying a generative AI interface in a modern office

    Study: Generative AI Could Inhibit Critical Thinking

    A new study on how knowledge workers engage in critical thinking found that workers with higher confidence in generative AI technology tend to employ less critical thinking to AI-generated outputs than workers with higher confidence in personal skills.

  • abstract geometric pattern of glowing interconnected triangles, hexagons, and circles in blue, gold, and white, spread across a dark navy-to-black gradient background

    OpenAI Unveils 'Operator' AI for Performing Web Tasks

    OpenAI has launched "Operator," an AI agent designed to perform web-based tasks autonomously using its own browser. Currently available as a research preview for Pro users in the United States, the tool aims to automate everyday activities such as filling out forms, ordering groceries, and even creating memes.