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This blog is dedicated to the topics of Course materials, Innovation, and Technology in Education. it is intended as an information source for the college store industry, or anyone interested in how course materials are changing. Suggestions for discussion topics or news stories are welcome.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Campus Stores Participate in Digital Pilot

The University of Minnesota Bookstores, Minneapolis, have been actively working to reduce the cost of textbooks for years. Now, they’re taking part in a digital coursepack pilot to provide online material as an alternative to printed coursepacks.

The project started with seven course sections from the College of Education and Human Development in the fall of 2012. It has now been expanded to 81 course sections, allowing students to pay an average of $12 per pack compared to $30 per pack for printed materials.

The goal of the program is make coursepacks as affordable as possible by making course-related materials in various formats available through a single online point of access. It also makes coursepack creation easier for faculty.

The content is free to the pilot via the electronic reserves system through the school’s digital library and made available to students through the bookstore website. In addition, pilot program officials are working with the Copyright Permissions Center on campus to lower costs by streamlining the permissions process.