UW News

January 12, 2012

UW-IT seeks faculty for pilot projects using eTexts

News and Information

The Percussion Ensemble will perform May 29 in Meany Studio Theater.

UW Information Technology is seeking faculty members interested in using electronic texts, or eTexts, in their classes for participation in a pilot project.

The pilot project features two systems, one focusing on collaboration and annotation, the other on compatibility and accessibility. Both provide easily searchable electronic texts that have close fidelity to a printed page.

“We are looking for instructors from all disciplines who want to explore new tools to enhance the students learning experience,” said Karalee Woody, director of Computing Infrastructure Services for UW Information Technology.

Interested faculty are invited to attend an information session in Odegaard 220 at 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 or at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 26. The pilot project runs quarterly from spring 2012 through spring 2013.  During the pilot, students will receive eTexts at no cost.

The goals for the pilot include:

  • Learning how UW-Information Technology can best support instructors and students in adopting eTexts.
  • Identifying best practices for using eTexts in support of teaching and learning.
  • Enabling access to high-quality educational resources in both digital and hard-copy formats.
  • Exploring new tools for teaching and learning, and exploring integration of eTexts with campus learning management systems.
  • Laying the foundation for reducing the cost of digital education resources for students.
  • Adapting the shape of eTexts models to favor the interests of UW students.

Additional details are available at http://uw.edu/itconnect/teach/etext.html and questions may be sent to help@uw.edu.