(21 September 2016) Pearson and Jisc are today announcing a year-long pilot that will make e-books more readily accessible to students across UK higher education (HE). The agreement is based on extensive engagement and feedback from members of Jisc, and follows six months of open and constructive dialogue between Jisc and Pearson.
From this month, Jisc member institutions are able to sign up to their chosen model giving them access to whole of Pearson’s world-class higher education e-textbook collection.
Under the agreement, Jisc members can select from a range of usage models, giving students and institutions increased flexibility to access content in ways that best meet their needs and circumstances. Jisc members can choose from a library subscription with unlimited concurrent usage, or a subscription with limited concurrent usage, being able to select a combination that works best for them. Under both models, Jisc member institutions will benefit from tiered discounts, and transparent pricing, in line with Jisc’s band model already favoured by institutions.
The importance of digital in today’s learning landscape was recently reinforced by Jisc’s student digital experience tracker, which found that approximately three-quarters of students (78% of HE and 72% for FE and skills) produce work in a digital format. Furthermore, 72% of HE and 70% of FE and skills learners believe that when technology is used effectively by teaching staff it enhances their learning experience. E-books, therefore, can play a fundamental role in the average student’s learning experience.
The announcement is here.
