3. Locked Digital Texts: In an effort to curb the high price of traditional course materials, as well as to try and make texts more Millennial-friendly through online and interactive components, many institutions are experimenting with digital course materials for students. However, according to a recent survey by college bookstore associations, less than half (45 percent) of the faculty surveyed “agreed/strongly agreed that digital course materials provide significant added value content not available in print,” and “only 27 percent said that digital course materials have a beneficial impact on student learning compared to print.” Not only are faculty wary, but students, too. According to a recent national student survey, students in higher ed who wish to unlock course-specific required online learning resources are still faced with costly access code fees. “Online access codes are the new face of the textbook monopoly,” said Ethan Senack, Higher Education Advocate at the Student PIRGs. “In one swoop, the publishers remove a student’s ability to opt-out of buying their product, eliminate any and all competition in the market, and look good doing it because the codes are cheaper than publisher’s exorbitantly priced textbooks.”
Better Option? OER. If online course materials and information is a must for students and faculty, then perhaps going open is a better choice. According to a recent survey, OER use for supplemental learning materials may nearly quadruple in size, from 5 percent to 19 percent in the next 5 years, and faculty are on-board for the expansion. The only setback? Vetting and choosing OER can take some time, and there’s still an unfortunate stigma associated with faculty publishing on open journals and platforms. However, this list of guidelines may help faculty with some of these concerns: “7 musts for digital and OER course materials.” Also, new technology on the horizon may bridge digital textbooks and print to better help students until digital texts can catch up to expectations: “New Google-like search technology is curbing course dropouts.”
4. Anything That’s Not Accessible: With the growth of online and blended education options, as well as digital tools and technologies, accessibility has become a hot-button issue in higher ed, especially as the lawsuits begin piling up. Accessibility not only applies to technology hardware and software, but to course websites, course content, and literally anything on the cloud.
Better Option? Consult IT First. During an EDUCAUSE 2015 conference, a panel of college and university IT were asked to discuss accessibility issues as they related not just to overall campus technology, but specifically to course materials and technology. EDUCAUSE even has its own IT Accessibility Constituent Group that its members can consult for accessibility advice. You can find a rundown of accessibility considerations from the panel here, but it’s also a good idea to consult your institution’s IT department before implementing any kind of new technology. A step-by-step guide for making online classes accessible is available here, and video accessibility compliance steps can be found here.
5. Device-Specific Technology: In the war of iPads versus Chromebooks versus Androids, honing in on apps, platforms or branded software that are only compatible with one kind of technology is usually a mistake, thanks to the quick turnover of many of these devices. Also, technology that doesn’t work well with others (think older LMS’ that refuse to integrate with other campus or course software) is not a smart, future-looking option.
Better Option? Interoperable, Device-Agnostic Technology. According to educational experts, the best approach to supporting BYOD for instruction is the “device-agnostic” class. To help smooth out some of the BYOD-related bumps in the college classroom, applications like Haiku Deck (presentation software), Tackk (a multimedia scrolling poster), and Snapguide (for creating step-by-step guides) are all offered in iOS, Android, and/or web versions. The latter, for example, uses a browser-based interface to allow students to access the application from any device–regardless of operating system–and use it online without having to worry about software incompatibility issues.
One of the newer entrants to the device-agnostic BYOD market is EXO U, a platform that allows instructors to share information and collaborate with students across multiple operating systems. Shan Ahdoot, CEO of the San Francisco-based firm, says such applications help educators get “everyone on the same page” quickly and effectively without wasting classroom time or IT resources. “The goal is to create a consistent experience from phone to laptop to interactive whiteboard,” says Ahdoot.
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