Pearson and Follett enter US college digital textbook partnership
Campus retailer, Follett Higher Education, and publishing company, Pearson, have partnered to offer the latter’s Direct Digital Access (DDA) model to college partners and over 1,200 bookstores in the US. The DDA model offers e-textbooks and other digital content to students at discounted prices, and will be integrated with Follett’s BryteWave digital textbook reader as well as other on-campus systems. The system will provide faculty members with access to data and analytics on the student interaction with the system’s content.

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Pearson, Follett Partner on Digital Textbook Program

Pearson and campus retailer Follett Higher Education have partnered to offer Pearson's Digital Direct Access (DDA) model to Follett's college partners and more than 1,200 campus bookstores across the United States.

Pearson's Digital Direct Access model offers e-textbooks, MyLab and Mastering as well as other digital content to students on the first day of class at a "significant cost savings for students compared to the price of a new print textbook," according to a news release.

The National Survey of Student Engagement conducted in 2012 found that "About one in four first-year students and one in three seniors frequently did not purchase required academic materials due to their cost, and a third of students believed that financial concerns interfered with their academic performance."

The partnership makes Pearson DDA "pricing and delivery models available to all of Follett's partners, increasing student affordability and access" said Tom Malek, senior vice president of partnerships for Pearson, in a prepared statement.

Pearson Direct Digital Access model integrates with Follett's BryteWave digital textbook reader and other campus systems to provide students with immediate access to their e-textbooks. The integration also provides faculty and administrators with "access to real-time data and analytics" about students' interactions with Pearson's digital content, according to Malek.

Further information about Pearson's Digital Direct Access model can be found on Pearson's site.