Page 15 - Campus Technology, April/May 2017

MANAGING DIGITAL EDUCATIONAL CONTENT
SPONSORED REPORT |
GAMECHANGER
RETHINKING HOW TECHNOLOGY IS USED IN EDUCATION
DIGITAL ACCESS ON DAY ONE DRIVES STUDENT SUCCESS
When students can access all course materials affordably on the first day of class, they’re far more likely to succeed.
TWO OF THE BIGGEST benefits behind in- stitution-wide e-textbook programs, known as inclu- sive-access programs, are reducing the high costs of course materials and giving students immediate access to materials on or before the start of a course. For example, Hinds Community College in Mississippi recently chose an e-textbook program that provides students with imme- diate and affordable access to all course materials.
Hinds recognized that because of the high cost of text- books, it’s common for students to delay or even completely forgo buying course materials. A recent study by Wakefield Research shows 88 percent of students have delayed buy- ing course materials due to cost. Not surprisingly, not having access to course materials leaves students subject to falling behind, resulting in dropped courses or poor performance. Avoiding or delaying purchasing course materials negatively affects their grades, according to 45 percent of students in the Wakefield study.
Although some courses and instructors at Hinds were al- ready using digital textbooks, the college had no official pro-
gram in place. “We wanted a consistent experience for stu- dents, and one in which we could support and help work through any issues that may arise,” says Jeremy Elliot, instruc- tional technology coordinator at the college. Hinds chose to partner with VitalSource to deliver its e-textbook program. The program gives students access to electronic materials on the first day of class. They can download textbooks regardless of publisher, device, platform or operating system.
When Hinds Instructor Joyce Brasfield-Adams com- pared student completion rates at the end of a se- mester, 63 percent of her students using VitalSource completed the class. Only 29 percent without access finished. This is particularly important given that first gen- eration college students and students from economically- challenged backgrounds already experience higher drop- out rates than any other group.
Saving money on course materials can substantially affect affordability, especially for community college stu- dents. At Northeast State Community College in Ten- nessee, for example, students are saving an average of
52 percent on course materials after the college moved to an e-textbook program. And at Hinds, the average stu- dent is saving nearly half off the cost of paper texts using VitalSource.
To maximize savings and increase the effectiveness of an e-textbook program, a campus-wide rollout is impor- tant. This ensures students have immediate access, and instructors can share notes and other course materials with everyone in class. An institution-wide deployment means getting buy-in from everyone who will be affected, including students, faculty, instructional designers, deans, and bookstore personnel.
The University of Cincinnati included all those stakehold- ers when it standardized on a single source for its e-textbook program. The university chose VitalSource, which is seam- lessly integrated with the LMS and provides the largest num- ber of titles and publisher agreements of any solution the school considered. After rolling out the program to two test groups, the university is now planning a campus-wide roll- out for as many courses as possible.
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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | April/May 2017