Brad Wheeler, IU vice president for information technology and chief information officer, updated the BFC on the Unizin initiative.
Unizin uses the technological capabilities of universities, rather than those of private firms, to develop and control shared infrastructure for online and hybrid courses because the priorities of universities often differ from the priorities of private firms, Wheeler said.
“It was the best way to ensure that the priorities of research and education would not become subservient to other motivations,” he said.
IU, the University of Michigan, the University of Florida and Colorado State University founded Unizin in June 2014.
By December 2014, the University of Wisconsin, Ohio State University, the University of Iowa, the University of Minnesota, Penn State University and Oregon State University had also joined Unizin.
The Bicentennial Strategic Plan, approved by the IU Board of Trustees in December, called for the completion of implementation of Unizin, currently still in its beginning stages.
Wheeler also presented on the use of eTextbooks, which are traditionally cheaper than print ?textbooks.
“For clarity, eText is the unfortunate industry term to refer to any course material in digital form,” Wheeler said. “It could be a digital version of a paper textbook, a video, a simulation, adaptive online homework labs.”
Wheeler said the advantages of eTextbooks extend beyond the economic ?advantages.
“Faculty motivations for adoption are not just economic,” he said. “These include knowing that all students have the eText before the first class, the ability to share highlights and annotations in the book with the students and the ability to project parts of the eText on screen during class time.”
Wheeler said students who prefer print versions rather than online versions of a textbook are not left out.
“We dispensed with the debate between print and online: which is bad and which is good?” he said. “We really embraced both. All of our eText agreements have unlimited printing or a bound paper book option if desired.”
The success of eTextbooks, however, depends on the support of faculty, Wheeler said.
“Absent a very deliberate intervention in the path eTexts, the economics of the industry will drive IU students to pay more, endure ridiculous use terms and restrictions, and our work of educating will become more complex,” he said.
Wheeler also presented on the use of open textbooks.
Released under a creative commons license, open textbooks are available online, free to download and inexpensive to print, ?Wheeler said.
Though open textbooks are similar to eTextbooks, open textbooks are often less expensive and do not expire, Wheeler said. Furthermore, instructors can modify open textbooks, adding and removing material as they ?see fit.
Because creators of open textbooks are paid in the same way creators of traditional textbooks are paid, Wheeler said open textbooks are made with the same quality that traditional textbooks are made.
Tom Morrison, IU vice president for capital planning and facilities, and Jeff Kaden, IU director of energy management and utilities, updated the BFC on energy initiatives. Bill Brown, IU director of sustainability, updated the BFC on sustainability initiatives.
IU is home to 639 energy and utility meters, including electric, water, condensation and gas meters, and 13 LEED certified buildings, ?Kaden said.
As a result, IU has seen reductions in both water and electricity usage since last year, Kaden said.
