The California State University announced partnerships with Cengage Learning, CourseSmart® and Follett that will provide more than 5,000 of the most popular etextbooks at discounted prices as part of a systemwide digital textbook rental program.
Beginning in fall 2012, students will have the choice to rent digital versions of texts – etextbooks – at a cost savings of 60 percent or more compared with the cost of purchasing the same text as a new printed version.
Students will have access to the digital material for the length of the academic term and also have the option to print out the material.
Digital texts and other materials will be available through laptops, desktops, tablets and various other devices. They and can be accessed online or offline and include interactive capabilities such as note-taking and highlighting.
In recent semesters, the Kennel Bookstore at Fresno State has been part of the Chancellor’s Office digital marketplace pilot program, which dealt with very limited titles, said manager Ron Durham. “This is a new, systemwide program, which we are excited to see,” Durham added.
He cautioned that it is not known which of the 5,000 titles will be applicable to Fresno State classes. However, Durham said, “We definitely plan on participating and Kennel will continue to work with the Chancellor’s Office and look forward to finding out the details as this program continues to evolve.”
“This program will ease the financial burden on students by providing access to quality online materials that are priced significantly lower than traditional textbooks,” said Gerry Hanley, senior director of CSU Academic Technology Services and executive director of the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching.
For more information: http://www.calstate.edu/pa/News/2012/Release/DigitalTextbook.shtml.
