This Fall, CITL (Center of Innovation in Teaching and Learning) will be working with the Department of Mathematics to save students taking Elementary Linear Algebra a bit of money. This high enrollment class (about 700 students) taught by Profs. Robert Muncaster and Lena Folwaczny, has traditionally used Sherbert’s ‘Linear Algebra with Business Applications’ as a required textbook. Over the years Dr. Muncaster has painstakingly created, from scratch, his own class notes that loosely follow the Sherbert structure. This Fall he decided to make them available on the University’s eReading platform eText@Illinois [1], a move that will save each student a whopping $106+[2] [3], or an aggregate savings of over $74k, while improving the quality of instructional material.

Students win because they get a much more affordable textbook that contains information pertinent to topics covered in class they are taking along with new ways of engagement.

The department wins because the recurring revenue stream provides opportunities for improving quality of instruction. It also creates a uniquely engaging learning environment centered around the department’s homegrown textbook.

The University wins because it saves the students significant amount of money while creating an improved learning environment, all while fulfilling its obligation to federally mandated accessibility.

eText is a browser-based, multimedia-capable, fully accessible platform to deliver original, instructor-developed course content and previously-published textbooks in a cost efficient manner. Built to take advantage of class roster cohorts, eText allows for two-way communication between students and instructors (both typed and freehand) as well as embedded assessments and practice problems linked from learning management systems on Campus.  Device neutral, eText uses an HTML5-based flexible page layout that serves as an intuitive, rich interface for both instructors and students.  Thanks to rigorously enforced semantic markup, a comprehensive commitment to accessibility, eText is one of the most truly ADA Section 508 compliant and universally accessible means of delivering electronic course content in the world.

Salient Points

• 698 students will enroll in MATH 125 (Elementary Linear Algebra) in Fall 2016
• Previous textbook ($111.75/used copy) -- New eText@Illinois ($15 per student [4])
• $106 savings per student
• $74k annual savings for all students
• $5k annual revenue for Dept. of Math to fund additional teaching support
• MATH 125 eText provides students with mobile access and a rich learning experience
• Since eText is already accessible out of the box, no additional DRES intervention is required