The UI eText Pilot Project was an examination regarding whether electronic textbooks are more convenient and economical for students. An important aspect of the pilot was studying the impact of eTexts on engagement in course materials and activities. The university’s participation in the pilot was inline with shifts in higher education toward technology enhanced courses and classrooms, and hybrid and online learning, in order to better meet student and faculty needs. 

GOALS

  • Evaluate student and faculty attitudes towards using eTexts, the impact on student learning, and cost savings for students.
  • Evaluate accessibility of eTexts and open content.
  • Learn what enterprise technology support we may need for campus-wide eText efforts.
  • Provide input to publishers and decision makers regarding future sustainable business models that are most advantageous to students.
Screen shot of eTextbook software.

Summary of Pilot Outcomes

FALL 2012
courseload snapshot

With the Sponsorship of the Provost’s office and ITS, The University of Iowa has participated in an eTextbook pilot in conjunction with a national project supported by Internet2 and Educause.

The fall 2012 pilot included approximately 800 students using Courseload (a browser based eReader) as a platform and Mcgraw Hill e-texts.

In addition, the university was awarded a Donald Rieck research grant to conduct an IRB approved research study on the use and effectiveness of eTexts in the fall pilot.

SPRING 2013

The University of Iowa Spring 2013 E-text pilot utilized the E-text platforms Courseload and CourseSmart. In this pilot, 400 students used Courseload and 100 students used CourseLoad.

FALL 2013

This fall 2013 pilot is similar to the pilot that ITS is conducting with Bioportal and Foundations of Biology. Mindtap is a Cengage product that includes an e-textbook along with a Course Management system, quizzes, activities, and videos embedded within the e-textbook. This time, Jennifer Rogers and Katherine Mellen partnered with ITS to run a pilot using Mindtap in the class, Nutrition and Health. The enrollments for this class are approximately 400.

Student CourseLoad Feedback

Positive Feedback:  

“It was so helpful to always have access to the material as long as I was at a computer.”       
“Using the e-text I could search topics more quickly than trying to search through my hard copy of the book”
“I think every course should have this option! It's great and really helpful.”                  

Negative Feedback:

“Couldn't go to any place to read and study cause I needed the internet.”
“I had many instances where the book wouldn't load at all, so I wasn't able to finish reading assignments.”
“While the eText is nice to have, I prefer reading from a hard text, because it is easier to concentrate/doesn't hurt my eyes as much.”

Related Collections

Appears as a resource in: 
SITA - Student Instructional Technology Assistants