Presentation from BISG's "What College Students Think: Making Information Pay for Higher Ed Publishing" Conference, held Feb 9, 2011 in NYC. TITLE: New Textbooks at Work: A View from the Classroom DESCRIPTION: In this Closing Keynote, professor Mitchell Weisberg will share first-hand faculty and student perspectives on the use of digital textbooks in his undergraduate business student classes. In a recent project, students in Mitchell's class engaged their own research: sharing journals, discussions and surveys on their attitudes, behavior and experience with digital textbooks as they prepared "Live Business Cases" on the emergence of digital textbooks in the publishing industry. Mitchell will summarize the results of this project and offer insights for publishers into the broader value proposition of digital textbooks for students, faculty and universities.

1. eTextbooks:
The View from the Classroom
Mitchell Weisberg
Sawyer Business School
Suffolk University

2. Mitchell Weisberg
Digital Disruption/Transformation:
Impacts, strategies and business models
• Lecturer, consultant, researcher and writer
– strategy, business, technology, healthcare
• Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University; University
of Massachusetts; Northeastern University
– Undergraduate & Graduate Classes
– Classroom & Online Courses
• Fellow:
– Center for Innovation & Change Leadership;
– IBM Center for Innovation in Performance Management
– School of Management Advisory Board 2

3. Session Objectives
• Respond to the BISG Survey Data and Findings
• Provide on-the-ground understanding of
student (and faculty) attitudes and behavior in
classroom
• Consider implications for you
www.lumeninc.com 3

4. Managing Thru Disruption
Transformation
• Disruption
• New business models
Start-ups Buzz
Innovation
Social Piracy
Regulation Legal
Media Web 2.0
Adoption
• Attitudes
• Behaviors
www.lumeninc.com 4

5. The Educational Setting
• Suffolk University
– Boston, with International scope
– Business, Law, Arts & Science
– 6000 Students
• Students
– “Bootstrappers”
– Careers in industry, law, public service, education
• Management strategy class
– Capstone Business Class
– Comprehensive class
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6. A Perfect Storm
A Perfect Storm
• Increasing tech savvy of students demands more
technology in teaching
• Senior Lecturer with business consulting experience
– Strategic use of technology in business
– Technology transformation of industry
• The opportunity – a live case and longitudinal study
www.lumeninc.com 6

7. The Class
Typical Strategy Content
•• Typical Strategy Content
• Typical Strategy Content
– Internal, external, industry, ecosystem, ethics
– Internal, external, industry, ecosystem, ethics
• 6 Teams
• 6–Teams
Publisher
– Sony eReader
– Amazon Kindle
– CourseSmart
– enTourage eDGe
– iPad
• Use their device as their textbook
– Weekly quizzes
– Journals
– Independent and team papers
• Apply weekly chapter content to selected company
• Design a “Winning” strategy for their device/company

8. The Devices
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9. 2-Year Longitudinal Study – Ongoing
• Student research results on devices
– Survey of colleagues and peers
– Student journals: experience/anecdotal
• Student behavior in class
– Use of eTexbook capabilities
– Purchase behavior
• Data from student assessments
– Quizzes
– Participation
• Book and Case Studies
– In writing stage
www.lumeninc.com 9

10. Student Readiness & Use is
Accelerating
I already
own a
Kindle/iPad
These and use it
These eTexts are for reading
eTexts may good for
be right for reading on
kids now in the train
Elementary
School
2009 2010 2011
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11. Research Results
• Students used assigned eText
devices
• Digital text was a secondary
source
• Tablet based eText was also a
secondary source
www.lumeninc.com 11

12. Research Results
• Students used assigned eText
devices
• Digital text was a secondary
source
• Tablet based eText was also a
secondary source
www.lumeninc.com 12

13. Research Results
• Students used assigned eText
devices
• Digital text was a secondary
source
• Tablet based eText was also a
secondary source
www.lumeninc.com 13

14. Research Results
• Students used assigned eText
devices
• Digital text was a secondary
source
• Tablet based eText was also a
secondary source
www.lumeninc.com 14

15. Research Results
Normalized Quiz Scores by Teams
• There is willingness to use
eTextbooks
20.0
18.0
16.0
14.0
Normalized 12.0
Score on 10.0
Quizzes 8.0
6.0 Normalized Quiz Scores by Teams
• Learning was not differentiated
4.0 20.0
18.0
16.0
2.0 14.0
Normalized 12.0
Score on 10.0
0.0 Quizzes
• BUT…
8.0
6.0
4.0
–T
–A
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Device Teams

16. Research Results
www.lumeninc.com 16

17. Research Results
• There is willingness to use
eTextbooks
Normalized Quiz Scores by Teams
• Learning was not differentiated 20.0
18.0
16.0
14.0
Normalized 12.0
Score on 10.0
Quizzes
• BUT…
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
–T
–A
–S
–C
–E
ex
m
on
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az
tb
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Ki
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ar
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ru
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Device Teams
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18. Observations from Ground Zero
• How much cheaper is it
• Will it help my grade
• Will it make more work for me
– vs. more convenient
• What is my professor expecting
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19. Discussion
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20. Invitation to Engage
• Interact with students on our class wiki
– http://digitalmedias2011.wikispaces.com/
– Register as member
• Speak in class
– “Focus Group Discussion”
• Propose additional research
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21. Thank You
Mitchell Weisberg
Dept. of Strategy & International Business
Sawyer Business School
Suffolk University
Office: +1 781.894.9202 Cell: +1 781.249.3750
miw3@cornell.edu
www.lumeninc.com 21

22. Observations from Ground Zero
Discussion
• How much cheaper is it?
• Will it help my grade
• Will it make more work for me
– vs more convenient
www.lumeninc.com 22

23. Observations from Ground Zero
• Students seek the lowest cost
• Grade enhancing behavior is a key drive
• Seek the path of least resistance
• Focused on responding to authority
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