Download to read offline
Uploaded byUKSG: connecting the knowledge community
Hartnup
This document discusses eTextbooks and new approaches being taken by CourseSmart, an eTextbook platform provider. It covers: 1) The challenging environment in higher education with changing technologies, increased competition, and student demands. 2) An overview of CourseSmart and the services it provides for eTextbooks, including an interactive eReader, integration with learning management systems, and analytics on textbook usage. 3) Examples of new approaches CourseSmart is taking including an interactive eReader using EPUB3, integration to improve efficiency and user experience, and flexible business models enabled through integration.
More Related Content
More from UKSG: connecting the knowledge community
Hartnup
- 1. eTextbooks: A NewWay Forward UKSG April, 2013
- 2. Introductions Becky Hartnup Head ofMarketing and Institutional Sales becky.hartnup@coursesmart.com Laura Annis Sales Manager laura.annis@coursesmart.com Slide 2
- 3. Agenda • Higher Education:a challenging environment • Overview of CourseSmart • Exploring new approaches: 4 examples – ePUB 3 – Rich media interactive textbooks – Integration – Analytics – Flexible business models Slide 3
- 4. Higher Education: A ChallengingEnvironment
- 5. Higher Education: Achallenging environment Managing changing technologies Proliferation of devices UK HE structural changes Increased competition Students considering choices Students demanding more Slide 5
- 6. Higher Education: Newdigital tools Recruitment Retention Satisfaction (NSS) Learning preferences Learning outcomes
- 7. Students are changing Use their own device for course reading Would do all/most of their reading online Feel this helps them learn better Expect most online course material to be free Data taken from NUS/CourseSmart research 2012 Slide 7
- 8. CourseSmart: Anoverview
- 9. About CourseSmart A publisheragnostic platform launched in in the US in 2007 by Higher Education publishers. International office and team set up in 2012 serving Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) Presence based around www.coursesmart.co.uk Three key services offered: 1) Institutional eTextbook platform, for students and faculty 2) Online eTextbook inspection copy service for faculty 3) Online direct and indirect ecommerce for students
- 10. CourseSmart = Realportability Slide 10
- 11. CourseSmart: what makesus different? Individual access to textbooks An alternative model for texts that have a high level of engagement and usage: core course material. Students use their own copy differently: a combination of ongoing access and immediate availability (not just discoverability) Accessible eReader compatible with screen reading technologies Focused only on Higher Education Not targeting mainstream consumer books. An offering tailored for teaching and learning. Focus on institutional delivery: integration with existing systems, innovative features: analysis tools eReader oriented to higher education use: Bookshelf oriented, log-into it from anywhere, any device Search, notes, bookmarks, highlighting, print & copy Page fidelity with the physical book ‘Caching’ replaces file downloading, avoids complex DRM issues Rich media, interactivity supported (EPUB3), where publisher supplies Web based textbook eReader No need to download software or content. Account based: log in and access your eBookshelf, texts and notes. As easy as Facebook. Works on any device with a web browser: dedicated iPad reader Customer Services 24/7 customer services. Online chat, email and UK freephone number, so students and faculty can get support any time of day or night.
- 12. Optimised for eTextbooksand eLearning Single page, Hotlinked table Side by side or Multi level Print Navigate by of contents Thumbnail zoom page number view Bookmark Search inside Make notes, copy and highlight
- 13. eTextbooks: 4 examples ofNew Approaches
- 14. The Interactive eReader: Enablesdelivery of more innovative content
- 15. Evolution to theInteractive Reader (EPUB3) iPhone App 2009 iPad App 2010 Android App Universal 2011 Reader 2012 Interactive Reader Today Mobile Browser Based Reader 2.0 Desktop / Laptop Online/Offline 2012 Separate Platforms 2011 2008 15 Confidential
- 16. Integration: Improving Efficiency andUser Experience
- 17. Integrating for efficiencyand user experience • The CourseSmart eTextbook platform enables universities to integrate core textbook content into existing systems such as a VLE or reading list solution. • Seamless access through single sign on means no lost passwords – and no need for students and instructors to ‘leave their bubble’ • Instructors and administrators can build links into a module or assignment • Links take students to the correct chapter or page of their own book – complete with any notes they made earlier • Administrators benefit from efficiencies: procurement is quick and easy, with no print copies to manage • Content is made available based on VLE ‘roles’: – students see assigned texts – lecturers receive free access to the catalogue Slide 17
- 18. CourseSmart: VLE integration,instructor 1. Institutional
- 19. CourseSmart: VLE integration,student Student follows link from VLE to open the book in the eReader in the browser Access by student can have a free period during Add/Transfer/Drop with publisher consent All student accessed managed centrally, and monitored through analytics
- 20.
- 21. Integration supports flexiblepurchasing models Who pays? Institution pays, student pay, institution part-pays Scalability? How small can I start? Distance Learners? Learners with print disabilities. Enterprise-wide solutions. Pilots then roll out. Stand alone then integration. Flexibility of rental periods? Short and Fat or Long and Thin. Multi-year. Renewals. Perpetual access. Flexibility of purchase models? No forced bundles. Flexible models enabled by integration: Firm price based on student enrolment numbers Projected price based actual uptake of eTextbooks – but with a cap Institution subsidises student purchase Subscription models where students can dip in to a range of titles Slide 21
- 22. Educause and CourseSmartSubscriptions Pilot 2013 The Spring 2013 pilot is the latest in a series of efforts to provide campuses an opportunity to explore, evaluate, and advance the transition from traditional media models, including text books, to electronic platforms. Like its predecessors, the pilot has two principal goals: •to continue to advance the higher education community’s understanding of online materials, and what is necessary for them to attain and surpass the effectiveness, accessibility, economy, and other relevant outcomes associated with traditional textbooks, and •to explore innovative business models, terms, and conditions that make access to digital educational materials more flexible, economical, efficient, and simple for institutions and publishers alike. •The pilot is explicitly experimental: the options are far from a complete set, and we do not expect the pilot packages to cover all circumstances. The point is not to demonstrate proven approaches, but rather to learn from early efforts what works and doesn’t work. Slide 22
- 23. Overview of SubscriptionsPilot Period Jan-June 2013 Value Proposition Value and convenience Broad access to large catalogue Max # of Books on eBookshelf 12 Duration of access 5 months Price per student $249 Swap Restriction Book can be swapped out of eBookshelf after 30 days Eligible Products eTextbooks Only Slide 23
- 24. A wide rangeof experiences Factors influencing student redemption and usage: Manual vs integrated Start date Faculty engagement Communication efforts Relative importance of the text Subject? Joined up project management Training % of codes average page maximum Start date redeemed views page views Title A October 94 254 1156 Title B November 73 405 1803 Title C January 30 127 532 Title D February 25 94 734 Data compiled by CourseSmart, April 2013 from UK and European sales and pilots. A total of 498 students from multiple universities. Slide 24
- 25. Integration enables Analytics
- 26. CourseSmart : Analytics • Launched at EDUCAUSE 2012, being beta tested in US • Available where CourseSmart is integrated with VLE e.g. Blackboard • Based on actual usage data of the books on the platform, provides institution with key key student engagement metrics: – Improves Return for Assigned Course Materials: enables more informed decisions about course materials through assessment of eTextbook usage and engagement – Supports Student Retention Goals - provides early indication student engagement levels to ensure students do not fall behind and ultimately drop out. – Helps Faculty Improve Student Success - summarizes actionable insights to help improve student performance in class. • Currently in beta, wider roll out Q3 2013 • Operates at university administrator and teaching faculty levels Slide 26
- 27. CourseSmart Analytics • Provides insights based on eTextbook usage statistics • CourseSmart Engagement Index TM summarizes activity • Analytics can be embedded in – Campus technology systems like portals or LMS for faculty – Publisher CRM systems for tracking opened sample use – Executive dashboards used to measure eBook effectiveness 27 Confidential
- 28.
- 29. Questions and insights • iPads or bring your own device • Connecting with social media • Sharing notes – how far? • Other internal systems • Distance learning and multi-campus • Non traditional students? • Analytics and feedback • Faculty engagement • How institutions measure cost and benefits? • Joined up thinking in Universities? Recruitment, retention, satisfaction, learning preferences, learning outcomes Slide 29
Editor's Notes
- #4 Picked
- #6 The problem Objective: Acknowledge the customer problem Waves: Two significant changes happening at the same time: Transition to Digital Changes to structure in the UK market How educational content is being brought to market and consumed has been evolving tremendously in recent years. Technologies, business models and, to some extent, the content itself have all been changing. There’s tremendous pressure on institutions, faculty, students and the publishers themselves to make sure that this change supports their individual needs and objectives. Add to this the Internet, broadband connectivity and the mass proliferation of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, and the idea of “buying a textbook” isn’t so simple anymore. How to harness the changes or get dragged down Now more than ever, What is the purpose of the institutions – how differentiate? Teaching and learning, research, distance learning The brand – students carry this with them life long. All about what students want: Changes relating to digital, but also to specific changes in the UK market place: Fees and employability making students more demanding about university decisions in turn adds to the competitive environment in which MOOCs are emerging, overseas universities and distance learning are becoming options that are considered. Confluence of these changes interesting Glosbla trends – tablets, bandwidth, twiter FB, MOBILE PERSONALISED BIG DATA MOOCs, adpativ learning, ric media, interactivity, OER, Future Learns etc Chagine workplace – digital literacy Changes in other industires music books Recruitment Retention Satisfaction Learning preferences Learning outcomes Student using digital monograph platforms and other digital resources NUS survey: number of students with multiple devices Bowker survey: increase in use of e Textbooks and VLEs Pic words
- #7 A solution Trailing Amidst the noise How eTextbooks can support Work through the points Simple Safe harbour
- #8 99% have a digital device (60% buying another one soon) 95% use their own device for course reading 52% would do almost all their reading online 63% feel that their digital device helps them learn better 85% expect online materials to be free 44% expect books to be free 81% expect universities to provide books as part of tuition fees
- #10 17 in the UK regions 40 in the US Just short of 5k
- #12 This slide summaries some of the key points that make CourseSmart different We are focused ONLY on the needs of the Higher Education market – all of our R&D and innovation is tied to this Our eText reader is truly innovative, in that it is an HTML5 reader, where the content is stored in the cloud. This means that there is NO DOWNLOADING of a bookshelf or a book file – all you need to do it log into your bookshelf the way you would log into e.g. Facebook or a gmail account and you will find your eTexts. This makes is a lot easier to support as well, as the help desk can just log in to the account and see what's going on, in a way that they would not be able to do with material stored locally on a desktop. We also have a native iPad readers; the regular web based eReader also works on an iPad, its just that for offline use, the browser is not able to store the file size we need with the iOS. The other notable features of the eReader are: The bookshelf can be accessed from anyweb browser It has search, note taking, note formatting, highlighting, printing and copying There is page fideltiy althouhg it is not a PDF We use browser caching instead of file downloading – the brower can store a bookmark for the offline bookshelf which is the easiest way to use this feature We offer aroudn the clock 24/7 customer support, from BlackBoard Student Services in the US; this is provide by chat, email and phone. We have already applied to set up a UAE freephone number Our eReader also support rich media e.g. embedded audio and video files, where the publishers have made this available Benefits of the institutions platform are: Blackboard integration – this is more of this in the presentation Analytics – there is more on this later Ease of procurement e.g. delivery through single sign on, support for add/drop
- #14 It is impossible to know with any certainty how the landscape of higher education will look in 10 years time. Or even 5 years. Exploring new approaches is difficult: Competition between institutions for the best students Competition between publisher platforms Difficulty in pulling together the necessary individuals within an institution: technical, strategic, administrative, teaching and effecting change. But this engagement and learning process is essential to learn, monitor and relearn. Essential for institutions, but also for publishers and distributors. Many of the presentations at UKSG are about the different ways in which these groups are engaging with the changing environment, using data to build understanding. The remainder of this presentation will focus on ways in which CourseSmart has been moving forward in this area including insights from work with customers and pilots in the US and in the international region
- #16 Opening up opportunities – enabling publishers to do more. EPUB – ebook standard way of formatting text: so that anything that has been formatted in the format should be opened in devices: what is used now by consumer pubilshers – so if you buy in kindle, kobo etc that is what you are seeing. Created by IDPF – international digital publishing forum Epub 2 – addressing the problem of reflowable text. Epub 3: tables maps, applets, quizzes, animations spinning globes May find this on publishers own resources - not build to standards Coursesmart – one platform, multiplie publishers. They can creat this for us and use for other distributors – more accessible and helps the industry move to digital – a way of pushing that forward on a single platform. Resources are expensive and more difficult in terms of training. Timelines for EPUB3 – Demos: Dependant on the publishers to provide the content, but
- #18 VLE, Talis (?) Efficiencies of managing content Seamless access A personalised experience based on roles: Faculty instant access Serves right content to the right student from within their learning env – to the right page, to their own copy, complete with notes they made earlier SSO – CUSTOMER SUPPORT – CONSISTEN INTERFACE – USING WEB STANDARDS TO DELIVER CONTENT NO FORGOTTEN PASSWORDS
- #19 Small There are screen shots of the Blackboard CourseSmart building block being used to set up a eText into a course and then create a deep link to a book
- #20 The student clicks from the link The first time the student clicks they accept the terms and conditions, and they set up a password for CourseSmart From then on it is a direct link
- #22 Sean’s We have white papers on US case studies on going digital and the key takeaway message is the importance of flexibility: different solutions for different types of organisation, budget and stage in the process. Find this on the .com site (url?) Here are some of the needs we have encountered and how we are working with them
- #23 A US project Emphasise the experimental and learning elements of the pilot. That it ran along side some other pilots It is still running
- #24 Beta test is live: not complete, can give them final feedback or decisions. But an overview of what we are doing: University of Iowa Clemson University University of Buffalo University of Wisconsin, Madison Stony Brook University Run through the key points Uni purchased for each student Each student can put up to 12 books on their shelf We will be learning through quant and qual: Looking at quant: number of books on bookshelves Looking at qual – experience of students, faculty, institutions, This is something we are exploring in the UK – opening discussions with institutions and those publishers that wish to build experience. In particular, how similar are requirements: Is there interest from institutions AND publishers Price Terminology Duration: semesters, trimesters, quarters, full year, rolling start Ongoing use of text and notes Number of eTextbook slots Rules around swapping titles Institutional requirements US notes Talking Points: This is a summary of the original offering. ( Briefly review each point with expanded explanation for Pricing and Publisher Payment) Pricing was determined using the following assumptions: -Historical average sell price for single unit over past 12 months which is $60 Multiplying the historical average by assumed average number of products placed on bookshelf which is 5 Applying subscription pack “discount” of 20% Publisher payments assumptions Revenue share for the library is calculated based on 2 “events” Proportional share of the full retail value of a book place don bookshelves during a given month Book A CS Price of $72/ Full Value of Bookshelf at $296 = 24.32% Proportional share of a book’s page views across the entire bookshelf during a given month Book A Pages Viewed at 150/ Total Pages Viewed of 825 = 18% Note that in the original proposal, an accommodation is made for titles with 360 and 540 durations. 20% of CS books have longer durations than 1 semester.
- #25 Different models to suit different patterns of behavior: Impact of timing, integration, faculty buy in, availability of lecturer selected text, Use driven by university communications and by assignments. Number of pages
- #27 The program looks at metrics of student usage, including page views, time spent in a textbook, notes taken, highlights made, bookmarks used, and whether or not the student even opened the book. Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/11/08/coursesmart-announces-analytics-program-measure-student-engagement#ixzz2Es94V0QA Inside Higher Ed Texas A&M University, San Antonio, Villanova University and Rasmussen College re the pilot universities
- #28 This is the dashboard that administrators on campus will have access to. In the top set of metrics, we see a summary of the eTextbook usage data for this [demo] institution. This includes: the average amount of time our students spend in their eTextbooks, the total number of pages viewed by our students, eTextbook subscription totals, and account data across our college for all of the adopted titles. If we wanted to review a specific semester or title, we can use the filters to drill down. Filters by Course title Publisher ISBN Book title Instructor name Student name Date range Report on trends export any of the information we see to a csv or spreadsheet file