Workshops/Adopting eBooks

From WSU Technology Knowledge Base
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Ebooks.jpg

Session Information

  • Level - Introductory, no previous experience using electronic books required
  • Intended Audience - Instructors interested in providing students with an ebook option in their courses
  • Time - 50 minutes
  • Register.gif

Before the Session

Before the Session: This session is hands-on, so please bring your laptop if possible. If you cannot bring a laptop, one will be provided for you.

General Description

Students spend an enormous amount of money purchasing printed books for their courses each semester. The promise of electronic books has long been financial relief as well as access to rich, multimedia, and interactive learning resources that are not available through print media. Many publishers offer ebook versions of their printed texts and many primary sources are available in full text online. A recent survey of WSU faculty revealed that the majority would adopt an ebook if they knew more about integrating them into their courses. In this introductory workshop, we will cover the steps involved in ebook adoption, ways that instructors can prepare their students for using an ebook, and methods for integrating ebooks into other tools such as D2L. The various ebook readers (e.g., laptop, iPad, Kindle) will be compared. Research on the use of ebooks will be discussed and methods for assessing the effectiveness of ebooks will be shared. Some examples of open, free electronic textbooks will be reviewed.

Learning Outcomes

Following this session, you will be able to...

  • Identify whether ebook versions of the required readings for your courses are available; research online alternatives to your current required readings in cases where ebook versions are not available.
  • Identify common technical and psychological challenges to the effective use of ebooks
  • Present your students with a checklist to determine their readiness for an ebook
  • Describe the difference among the most popular ebook readers on the market
  • Describe limitations related to how ebook content can be marked up by a learner (e.g., highlights, margin notes
  • List three open ebook initiatives in higher education

Related Articles