The current economic crisis is proving to be a game-changer in many industries–and textbook publishing, particularly in higher education, is certainly not immune, writes educational technologist Rob Reynolds in the blog Six Slides. "A number of universities in the Unites States are hoping to set price limits on course materials," Reynolds writes. "This, of course, is in addition to legislation in many states that attempts to enforce processes that will help keep the cost of course materials down. The result, of course, is increased ‘squeeze’ on the textbook industry." Reynolds lists five systemic changes he believes are necessary if textbook publishers want to survive the next decade: (1) move to a turnkey digital environment that places priority on digital rather than analog distribution; (2) adopt common, open, and customizable product templates; (3) adopt open models of distribution; (4) become dynamic instead of static in terms of product vision; and (6) build real communities with customers…

Click here for the full story