Transcript HEADLINE GOES HERE

DIGITAL COURSEPACK PILOT
PROJECT
November 3, 2006
THE BACKGROUND
•
In November 2005, Access Copyright defined four goals for a digital
coursepack pilot project:
• To offer print coursepacks in a convenient digital format.
• To receive feedback from participating schools about the effectiveness
of digital coursepacks and the features of the VitalSource software.
• To see if there is a demand for digital coursepacks.
• To use the project findings for future digital service offerings to our
licensees.
THE PLAYERS
•
VitalSource Technologies: Generated and managed the redemption
codes for digital coursepacks.
•
International Composition Corporation: Provided data-conversion
services for Access Copyright’s digital coursepacks.
•
The Schools: All four are based in Ontario:
• McMaster University (Hamilton); York University (Toronto); Royal
Military College (Kingston); University of Ottawa (Ottawa).
THE PLAYERS (cont’d)
•
The Courses: Digital coursepacks were prepared for five courses:
• McMaster Economics – 60 students; Sociology – 29 students.
• York University: English – 150 students.
• Royal Military College: Ethics – 20 students.
• University of Ottawa: Law – 155 students – in French.
LAUNCHING THE PROJECT
•
March 2, 2006: Access Copyright’s Board of Directors approves a digital
coursepack pilot project.
•
March 17, 2006: Access Copyright signs letter of agreement with VitalSource.
•
March 24, 2006: “Think Digital” marketing tool created.
•
April 12, 2006: The four schools are confirmed as participants in the project.
•
May 16, 2006: Access Copyright signs letter of agreement with ICC.
LAUNCHING THE PROJECT (cont’d)
•
May-June 2006: Participating schools advertise digital coursepack
project to faculty members.
•
June 9, 2006: Shelf Talker and Full Page Advertising piece available.
•
June 19, 2006: VitalSource P2 Software training at Access Copyright.
•
July 6, 2006: Redemption code and disclaimer template created; End
User Licence Agreement posted to website.
THE STARTING POINT
THE DATA CONVERSION PROCESS
•
Hard copy sent to ICC or image PDF files uploaded to FTP site
(depending on the course).
•
ICC converted the files to .vbk format.
•
.vbk file sent to VitalSource.
•
Access Copyright uses P2 software to create redemption codes.
•
Redemption codes ordered and sent to participating schools.
THE END PRODUCT
CURRENT CHALLENGES
•
•
•
•
Timeframe:
• Tight timeframe to advertise opportunity to faculty.
Conversion Process:
• More difficult and time consuming than initially thought.
• 20 business days to convert from hard copy to .vbk format (estimated five
days).
• 20 business days to convert from .pdf to .vbk format (estimated 72 hours).
Customer Service:
• Infrequent updates from ICC regarding conversion process.
Personnel Turnover:
• Key contacts at McMaster, York and University of Ottawa changed during
pilot project.
FOLLOWING-UP
•
Survey posted on SurveyMonkey for students using digital coursepacks
to provide feedback.
•
Researching other text-conversion companies to see if turnaround time
on data conversion can be improved.
•
Run another digital coursepack pilot project in fall 2007 to permit more
time to alert faculty about the project through presentations, meetings,
etc.