Pearson signs digital textbook partnership with over 30 US colleges
More than 30 American colleges have partnered with Pearson to help give students access to more affordable digital learning materials, and all materials will be instantly available to all students on the first day they attend class. In announcing the partnerships, Pearson said the colleges will be using a variety of delivery models, mostly going through the (digital) campus bookshop, and once students have downloaded the digital materials, teachers can track students’ learning in ways that are simply not possible with traditional textbooks. Officials at the University of California-Davis, which launched a digital delivery service in 2015, said it has been “game-changing,” and both faculty and students have been positive about universal access to all course materials on the first day of class, without anyone ever having to visit a physical shop.

Pearson today announced partnerships with more than 30 colleges and universities to deliver digital course materials to students through a variety of delivery models, most working through campus bookstores. Through these digital delivery models, Pearson is collaborating with institutions that are committed to providing students with access to high-quality, affordable content on the first day of class that improves educators’ insights into students’ instructional needs through better access to learning data.

The University of California (UC), Davis partnered with Pearson in 2015 to provide students with direct access to digital course materials through the campus bookstore. Since launching the program, the university has digitally delivered required course materials for more than 150 courses. UC Davis typically delivers required course content for 40 or more courses per quarter using this model, a number that continues to grow.

On the value that students and faculty are seeing in this model, Jason Lorgan, Executive Director of UC Davis Stores said, “Delivering content digitally to our students before the first day of class, without a visit to the bookstore, has been game-changing for our campus. Faculty and students greatly appreciate the day-one access for everyone enrolled in the course. Students are reporting significant levels of satisfaction with this delivery method and find the adaptive digital content to be superior to static print content in our student surveys. Seventeen thousand of our students have engaged with this program since it began and we expect its rapid growth to continue. We consider this program an important part of our course material affordability initiatives.”

Students at the Utah Valley University, Brigham Young University-Provo, and Brigham Young University-Idaho can purchase digital course materials from their schools’ bookstores, beginning in spring 2016. The State University of New York at Oswego is launching five to 10 courses in the fall of 2016.

“We're collaborating with an increasing number of institutions to establish an effective and sustainable affordability model that helps control the overall cost of education and delivers equitable, immediate access to learning materials for all students," said Tom Malek, Senior Vice President of Partnerships, Pearson. "What's also of great interest to our institutional partners is the meaningful real-time learning data available to faculty and institutions when all students in a course are able to use a common digital product. This data can be used to help faculty identify and intervene with at-risk students, focus instruction on the areas where students are struggling most, and document that course learning outcomes are being measured effectively.”

According to the Campus Computing Project research findings from a fall 2015/winter 2016 survey, 45 percent of faculty respondents believe that digital materials provide significant added-value content not available in print. Pearson’s long-standing partners that have successfully implemented the digital direct access models, including Indiana University, Cincinnati State Community College, and Eastern Gateway Community College, are now seeing the positive impact that day-one access to digital course materials can have on student engagement and achievement.

Indiana University will share the latest findings on a research study investigating the impact of their eText Initiative at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities 2016 Academic Affairs Summer Meeting. The presentation, “eText that Empowers: Leading the way to greater affordability and achievement with digital course materials” will be delivered Saturday, July 23 at 8:45 AM at the Denver Marriott City Center, Denver. Presenters include Anastasia Morrone, Ph.D., Associate Vice President of Learning Technologies at Indiana University, Dean of Information Technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and Tom Malek, Senior Vice President of Partnerships, Pearson.

To learn more about how the transition to digital delivery of course materials and solutions can improve access, affordability and achievement in higher education, visit this website.

About Pearson

Pearson is the world’s learning company, with expertise in educational courseware and assessment, and a range of teaching and learning services powered by technology. Our mission is to help people make progress through access to better learning. We believe that learning opens up opportunities, creating fulfilling careers and better lives. For more, visit http://www.Pearsoned.com.

Media Contact:

Scott Overland, scott.overland(at)pearson(dot)com, 202-909-4528