Ashley
Gordon, a digital content strategist and founder of Mockingbird Publishing,
moderated the discussion, sponsored by Cengage.
On the
future of academics and course materials:
“There
will be continued movement to digital,” said Scott Virkler, chief product
officer, McGraw-Hill Education, “and pressure on schools to show outcomes.”
“I
believe print will be around for some time to come. For a lot of students, that
still makes a lot of sense,” said Mike Wright, vice president and director of
sales, W.W. Norton & Co.
“The
student consumer will have more choice” but will expect materials to directly
contribute to their personal and professional success, said Tim Stookesberry,
senior vice president, education, Wiley.
On ways
publishers can work with campus bookstores to build stronger relationships with
faculty:
“Stores
have so much knowledge about students, you could help faculty make the best
decision about what materials to adopt” and which format options are available,
said Cheryl Costantini, vice president, content strategy, Cengage.
“Help
faculty in understanding affordability. Faculty don’t care where students get
materials and sometimes think students are getting a better deal,” said Bill
Franck, senior vice president of sales, nursing and allied health, Elsevier-Health
Sciences.
On ways
to sustain inclusive access (programs that provide digital materials as part of
a course fee):
“Be
willing to change and adapt,” said Nik Osborne, senior vice president, strategy
and business, Pearson. “We’re looking for opportunities to grow. By starting
early together we can build out roles for each to play.”
