view . fall 2012
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Partnership to provide student access to etexts
A groundbreaking etextbook licensing partnership,
the first of its kind in Canada,
will provide UWindsor
students with lower costs and greater access to high-quality
course materials in a wide range of digital formats.
Gwendolyn Ebbett, dean of the library, spearheaded the
University wide agreement with Flat World Knowledge, the
largest publisher of openly licensed college textbooks.
In time for the 2012 fall semester, and as part of a pilot
program studying etextbooks, UWindsor purchased 2,000
seat licences to the company’s course content.
Using a per-student, per-course seat license, the
company pledges the new approach is more economical,
convenient and environmentally sustainable.
And most importantly, all students assigned to a Flat
World Knowledge textbook will have access to their course
materials on the first day of class. Students will be able
to download the digital files onto any computer, laptop,
e-reader, tablet or smartphone. Once they do, the content is
theirs to use for as long as they like.
Students who prefer a physical book will have the
option to buy a low-cost print book through the UWindsor
bookstore’s print-on-demand service.
Flat World’s open licensing model gives UWindsor
faculty the ability and online tools to revise, remix and
incorporate their own contributions into the content, so it
more directly relates to the focus and learning objectives of
their course.
“I am a firm supporter of open access, which makes
Flat World Knowledge the ideal partner to provide the
building blocks of a campus-wide etextbook program,”
says Ebbett.
Jeff Shelstad, founder of Flat World Knowledge, says
“UWindsor is leading the way in using digital technology
and high quality open content to increase access,
affordability and personalization—key factors to improving
student retention and outcomes.”
Consider
the Possibilities
of what a graduate degree at UWindsor
can do for you
We offer:
- Opportunities for lifelong learning
- 58 Master’s and doctoral programs
- Committed faculty
- Individualized learning
- Innovative partnerships
- Culturally diverse, international community
gradst
@
uwindsor.ca
