Next Generation Learning

Electronic or a print textbooks? College classroom pros and cons

Posted May 30, 2012

Electronic versions of textbooks are often significantly cheaper than printed versions. However, pilot studies at various colleges have shown that students need to be able to  highlight, bookmark, and annotate e-textbooks just as easily as they would print textbooks, in order to consider them acceptable replacements. In addition, most e-reader devices (e.g., Kindle, Nook) in [...]

U Minn’s new database of peer-reviewed, open-source textbooks

Posted May 30, 2012

Instructors looking for an alternative to commercial textbooks might want to check out the University of Minnesota’s new catalog of peer-reviewed open-source textbooks. As Inside HigherEd reports, the university will offer its faculty bonuses for reviewing the textbooks, in the hopes of jump-starting a peer-review system that will make it easier for faculty to find [...]