Dive Summary:
- Academic publishing giant Elsevier announced Tuesday that a free version of one of its textbooks will be made available to students who register for edX's Circuits & Electronics MOOC this fall.
- A free version of the textbook was actually available during the first version of the course last fall, but Elsevier found since then that providing a free "static," non-downloadable PNG version of the text actually increased sales elsewhere.
- The syllabus for Circuits & Electronics will link to Elsevier's website, where students will be able to purchase discounted copies of the print and electronic versions of the text.
From the article:
Elsevier, the academic publishing giant, announced on Tuesday that it will offer a free version of one of its textbooks this fall to students who register for Circuits & Electronics, a massive open online course (MOOC) being offered by edX. The publisher actually made available a free version of the textbook during the first iteration of that course last fall, with little fanfare. ...