In this website you will find information about the BU eTextBook Pilot Program, FAQ, and tutorial videos for Students and Faculty.
This pilot is sponsored by EDUCAUSE and Internet2 with the goal to explore new business models, terms and conditions that will enable simpler, more efficient access to digital educational materials (e-texts) at institutions throughout the country. The hope is this pilot will move Baylor University, other institutions, and the publishers further along the path to digital materials. Institutions that participate will be helping higher education collectively to demonstrate new e-texts models. These seek to provide students substantial savings and to provide publishers greater efficiency and reasonable returns on their textbook investments.
This pilot builds on a successful pilot at Indiana University that extended to several other institutions for the current spring term. Representatives from Baylor, Carleton, Indiana, Miami, UC Berkeley, along with EDUCAUSE and Internet2 developed the details for the pilot.
Participation for the Fall 2012 pilot at Baylor University will be limited to 20 classes or 800 students.
More than one-third of all students go without one or more required textbooks each year. While some make do with out-of-print editions, others opt for nothing at all. With eTexts powered by Courseload, students can access course materials any time, anywhere with any digital device. Additional features and benefits include:
- On-demand printing
- Highlighting and annotations
- Unlimited access to course materials
- Collaborative studying
Courseload makes eTexts readily available for students and faculty members alike. The HTML5-based application provides nearly unlimited and ubiquitous access to digital materials, and features:
- Support for nearly all web-enabled devices
- Compatibility with every modern web browser
- Offline storage options