Scientific publisher Nature Publishing Group (NPG), UK, and the California State University (CSU) have announced a three-year partnership. Under the deal, NPG will support design and development of an innovative series of affordable, high quality interactive textbooks in college-level science. The 'born digital' textbooks will be used initially at CSU campuses but will be available to other universities from September 2011.
The first interactive textbook in the programme, Principles of Biology, will be used as the primary learning solution for the introductory biology course at CSU's Los Angeles, Northridge, and Chico campuses for the 2011/2012 academic year. The textbook is being developed by a team of scientists and instructors led by NPG's editors, with guidance from a team of faculty advisors at the three CSU campuses.
As a 'born digital' product, Principles of Biology will be accessible to students and instructors via web browsers on desktops, laptops, tablet computers and smartphones. Students will have the rights to self-print a colour copy of the textbook. The publication uses more than 175 interactive lessons and continual assessment to help students master basic concepts, and draws on Nature's expertise and extensive archive of research papers to cultivate mature scientific skills, including data analysis and critical thinking.
CSU campuses will be licensing NPG's Principles of Biology textbook for academic year 2011/2012 in three different modes. CSU's Los Angeles campus has opted for a site license, enabling automatic online access to the materials by all students enrolled at CSULA. At CSU's Chico campus, students will receive individual access, arranged through the campus bookstore. CSU Northridge is using the resource in its distance education class; students will purchase access online. Instructors will be able to customise the textbook before adoption and share modified versions of the material with their students during the semester. All materials will natively support accessibility by disabled students.
Further titles in life and physical sciences will be launched by NPG, with consulting and adoption by CSU faculty, over a three-year period.
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