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Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Publishers Focusing On Technology Supplements To Textbooks.

Inside Higher Ed (3/9, Kolowich) reports on the increased use of software provided by publishers such as Pearson that offers automatic grading and feedback on student understanding, tools which some professors argue has improved their efficiency and their ability to address issues that students are having difficulty with. Now, major publishers "say that as instructors begin to realize the capabilities of e-learning tools, it is not enough to pitch professors -- particularly those in the natural sciences -- a traditional textbook or even an e-textbook." William Reiders of Cengage's Global New Media division said, "It is a fact that we are aggressively trying to add curricular solutions to what traditionally would have been our print textbooks - that's really driven by what the professors want." The article goes on to address issues stemming from the "added costs" that come along with the additional tools and content, and how these impact students.

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