A used-textbook market, piracy, and students opting to not
buy assigned course materials are issues the Indiana University is addressing with
its eText initiative. The solution IU created negotiates deep discounts on
textbook list prices from publishers in return for a guarantee that every
student will buy the e-text.
The system appears to be working, according to Nik
Osborne, chief of staff for IU’s office of the vice president for IT, in this
Q&A with Campus Technology. He said he believes the program saves students money and
allows publishers and authors a fair price for their work. Other universities
around the country are showing interest in setting up a similar NET+ service
that provide McGraw-Hill e-texts, Courseload readers, and a platform to add
notes, combined with their learning management system.
“We're pretty sure that a shift to
digital and print is going to happen,” Osborne said. “It seems to be where the
publishers are going. It seems to be where the Department of Education is
trying to push people, as the software and the devices get better. There are
just going to be things in the next three to five years that you can do on an
e-text that you can't do on a textbook. Not only in higher education but in the
K-12 market there's going to be even more of a push to digital.”
The college store is not part of
Osborne’s equation. Store professionals should be exploring every possible way
to leverage their expertise in course material adoptions, coursepacks,
retailing electronics, and delivering print-on-demand options to become part of
the discussion.
