While the open education resources (OER) movement continues to pick up speed at many institutions, one of the main criticisms is that OER does not contain equivalent interactive elements as some mainstream publisher content, such as Pearson’s MyLab product or Cengage’s Mindtap.
Publishers are even combatting the low-cost to no-cost movement by offering more cost-effective options for students, like the Netflix of textbook options Cengage Unlimited, or Barnes and Noble’s First Day, which provides discounts and immediate access to required materials. Instructors and administrators will vouch for the quality of publisher integrations and products, but there are several other considerations that should be taken in consideration when adopting new digital materials: substantive instructor interaction, onsite support for faculty and students, and data sharing.
