Launched this month, the partnership between the University and Vital Source Technologies, Inc. will see more than 30,000 e-Textbooks made available to students.
The textbooks are accessible to all, including those with print-related disabilities and students will be able to access the textbooks directly through the University’s Digital Learning Environment.
It is the latest development for the eBooks programme, which was initially launched in 2011 as a pilot in the School of Psychology. It has since been broadened out across the University and, in 2013, won the Teaching Excellence category at the inaugural Guardian University Awards.
Dr Phil Gee, manager of the Plymouth eBooks Project, said: “This initiative is driven by a determination to ensure that no student is disadvantaged in terms of learning. Providing personal electronic copies of core texts significantly cuts the cost of university, and gives all an equal opportunity to succeed. We are immensely proud that Plymouth is pioneering this very practical way of supporting students, and it delivers on our strategy to enrich what we do through appropriate use of digital technology.”
Through the partnership, VitalSource – part of the US-based Ingram Content Group – is providing eTextbooks from more than 16 publishers to students in programmes in science and technology, business, arts and humanities, medicine and health and human sciences.