Communication Package

Desire2Learn Binder as an

eTextbook Platform Frequently Asked Questions

July 2013

Desire2Learn Binder as an eTextbook Platform – FAQ

2

© 2013 by Desire2Learn Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Table of Contents Document Purpose ....................................................................................................................................... 5

What is this document? ............................................................................................................................ 5

Who is this document for? ........................................................................................................................ 5

Era of eText ................................................................................................................................................... 5

What is eText? .......................................................................................................................................... 5

How do eText relate to Desire2Learn Binder? .......................................................................................... 5

Binder as an eTextbook Platform.................................................................................................................. 6

What is an eTextbook Platform? .............................................................................................................. 6

Why is Desire2Learn getting more involved in the eTextbook market? .................................................. 6

What are the components of Binder as an eTextbook Platform? ............................................................ 6

Which markets in education is Binder as an eTextbook Platform focused on? ....................................... 7

What is the account identity of a user with Binder as an eTextbook Platform? ...................................... 7

What does this mean for other eTextbook Platforms that already integrate with the Desire2Learn

Learning Suite? .......................................................................................................................................... 7

What Is Desire2Learn’s accessibility policy with Binder as an eTextbook Platform? ............................... 7

The Binder Shop ............................................................................................................................................ 8

What is The Binder Shop? ......................................................................................................................... 8

What type of titles will be listed in The Binder Shop? .............................................................................. 8

When will The Binder Shop be available? ................................................................................................. 8

In what countries will The Binder Shop be available? .............................................................................. 8

What eTextbook publishing partners are Involved? ................................................................................. 8

Who can purchase eTextbooks through the Binder Shop? ...................................................................... 8

What forms of payment can learners use to purchase eTextbooks through the Binder Shop? .............. 8

What are the purchase options for the eTextbooks? ............................................................................... 8

Are eTextbooks purchased through The Binder Shop available for other Readers?................................ 9

Are learners able to purchase eTextbooks directly through the Readers? .............................................. 9

Are eTextbooks purchased through the Binder Shop subject to usage restrictions? .............................. 9

What about the model for institutional purchases of eTextbooks? ......................................................... 9

Are there plans to offer OERs (Open Educational Resources)? ................................................................ 9

Binder eTextbooks and Book List .................................................................................................................. 9


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What is the Book List? ............................................................................................................................... 9

Where is the Book List located in the Learning Environment? ............................................................... 10

Why might an instructor want the Book List to be installed? ................................................................ 10

What versions of the D2L LE does the Book List work with? .................................................................. 10

What if Institution or Instructor doesn’t want the Book List installed? ................................................. 10

What’s different about this Widget? ...................................................................................................... 10

When is the Book List available? ............................................................................................................ 10

How is the Book List upgraded? .............................................................................................................. 10

What’s the source of the eTextbook metadata displayed? .................................................................... 10

What information is Stored in the LMS?................................................................................................. 11

Are there any learner-oriented features of Book List that involve integrating with the Binder Shop? . 11

Are there any instructor-oriented features of Book List that involve integrating with the Binder Shop?

................................................................................................................................................................ 11

Can integration between the Book List and the Binder eTextbook be disabled? .................................. 11

Can the Book List be configured so that a featured eTextbook points to our campus bookstore for

product details? ...................................................................................................................................... 12

When is Book List integration with the Binder Shop available? ............................................................. 12

What are the benefits to the instructor? ................................................................................................ 12

What are the benefits to the learner? .................................................................................................... 12

Binder the eTextbook Reader .................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

What is the Binder eTextbook Reader? .................................................................................................. 12

When can we expect a version of Binder the eTextbook Reader for Android? ..................................... 13

What is the format of a purchased eTextbook? ..................................................................................... 13

Where is a purchased Stored for the learner? ....................................................................................... 13

Why the emphasis on tablets?................................................................................................................ 13

Can learners expect smartphone versions of Binder the eTextbook Reader? ....................................... 13

Can leaners make purchases directly from Binder the eTextbook Reader? ........................................... 13

Binder Community .................................................................................................................................. 14

Why is Community identified by Desire2Learn as a platform component of the eTextbook Platform? 14

Desire2Learn Binder User Community ....................................................................................................... 14

What is the Desire2Learn Binder User Community? .............................................................................. 14

What if a learner has an issue and needs support for a purchased eTextbook? ................................... 14


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Turn the Page Program ............................................................................................................................... 14

How Desire2Learn Binder will fit into my institution’s eTextbook strategy? ......................................... 14

What’s involved in Turn the Page? ......................................................................................................... 14

Who can join Turn the Page? .................................................................................................................. 15

Where can I find out more about the Turn the Page program? ............................................................. 15


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Document Purpose

What is this document?

The purpose of this document is to provide additional information regarding Desire2Learn

Binder as an eTextbook Platform which was announced at Desire2Learn’s annual user

conference, FUSION. In advance of the offering being made available, this document outlines

frequently asked questions that might facilitate consideration of Desire2Learn Binder as an

eTextbook Platform for learners at higher education institutions.

Who is this document for?

This document is for anyone at a higher education institution involved in evaluating, planning or

implementing eTextbook initiatives, but this may include and not be limited to: VP/Director,

eTextbook Strategists, LMS Administrators, Academic Technology Specialists, Instructional

Designers and Instructors.

Era of eText

What is eText?

eText is a shorthand term that encompasses digital resources accumulated and employed by

learners along throughout their learning experience. eText includes instructor-posted resources

such as assigned readings, lecture notes, and Digital Textbooks that are typically associated

with learning topics. eText is instrumental in the learning experience as they are commonly

aligned with defined learning outcomes.

How do eText relate to Desire2Learn Binder?

The vision of Desire2Learn Binder is to provide learners a better way to study with academic

content. This is made possible for those in Higher Ed because it’s a powerful, deeply integrated,

and intuitive study platform that is the result of the following goals:

Any content, anytime, anywhere

An effective study tool

The most personalized experience

To learn more about the features and benefits of Desire2Learn Binder, go to:

http:// DiscoverBinder.com

http://fusion.desire2learn.com/fusion/

http://discoverbinder.com/


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Binder as an eTextbook Platform

What is an eTextbook Platform?

An eTextbook platform is a software solution enabling the discovery, acquisition, distribution

and consumption of eTextbooks. The following characteristics are important and representative

of a robust platform:

Integration with courses in learning management systems

Non-exclusive eTextbook availability from leading academic publishers

Multi-platform, multi-device access including mobile devices such as tablets and

smartphones

Annotation capture and synchronization associated with eTextbooks

Access and usage restrictions applied to eTextbooks

Co-existence of course-issued and learner discovered content

Available analytics and reporting

The value of the eTextbook platform is a positive function of the quality of available eTextbooks

and engagement levels of instructors and students.

Why is Desire2Learn getting more involved in the eTextbook market?

Desire2Learn’s mission is to help transform the way the world learns by providing innovative

learning solutions that engage and inspire learners. As a matter of priority, you as clients have

asked us to help break down known barriers to delivering and accessing the highest quality

learning experience for your learners. With Binder, we believe we can lead in delivering a

deeply integrated, personalized, end to end, compelling experience around the premium

academic content that’s so instrumental satisfying learning objectives.

Desire2Learn has been working with Publishing Partners like Cengage Learning and McGraw Hill

Higher Education on integrations with our Learning Environment such as Grade Book, Content

Tool, Course Links, etc. The Desire2Learn Binder platform is taking these partnerships to a

deeper level to deliver a broader level of value to our clients and the students who use our

products every day.

What are the components of Binder as an eTextbook Platform?

Desire2Learn Binder is evolving to be a seamless, involved, deeply integrated and end-to-end

eTextbook platform as shown by the following product components:

Binder Shop

Book List

http://www.cengage.com/


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Binder Apps

Binder Community

These components will be comprised in Desire2Learn’s Binder brand.

Which markets in education is Binder as an eTextbook Platform focused on?

Binder as an eTextbook Platform is concentrated on the Higher Ed market. There are a host of

considerations involved in adequately serving any one particular segment and it was chosen to

align with Higher Ed as it’s been voiced as a strategic priority from a proportionate number of

our clients. Desire2Learn is currently exploring the platform’s fit and function to be adapted to

also suit the K12 market. Planning is underway with clients and publishing partners to extend

the Binder platform to the K12 market.

What is the account identity of a user with Binder as an eTextbook Platform?

As a consumer oriented offering, Desire2Learn Binder leverages the Desire2Learn EduDentity

Service. By leveraging EduDentity, users aren’t tied to an enterprise login, allowing them to

connect to a number of different eText sources as well as use the Desire2Learn Binder platform

after they leave your institution. Desire2Learn Binder now involves a number of product

components under this single and seamless brand. A desired implication of this evolution is for

Binder as an eTextbook Platform to offer and have the learner use only one account identity to

span all product components. Desire2Learn Binder subtly employs and is powered by the

Desire2Learn EduDentity Service. As a consumer-oriented account management service,

EduDentity enables single-sign-on and personalized experiences across any aspect of

Desire2Learn Binder. Note that the Desire2Learn EduDentity Service is hosted in a datacenter

located in the United States.

What does this mean for other eTextbook Platforms that already integrate with the

Desire2Learn Learning Suite?

As a truly open platform offering, the Desire2Learn Learning Suite facilitates students learning

their way. And, as an essential prerequisite to that, the platform enables instructors deliver the

academic material that suits the needs of their students. There are including CourseSmart,

VitalSource and a host of others through our platform APIs Valence and LTI. Other eTextbook

platforms have integrated with the Desire2Learning Suite through our platform API’s and LTI.

What Is Desire2Learn’s accessibility policy with Binder as an eTextbook Platform?

In general, Desire2Learn's accessibility program adopts the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative

(WAI) guidelines as its guiding accessibility principles and best practices. Desire2Learn is

committed to making Desire2Learn Binder and supported eTextbooks more accessible from

http://www.coursesmart.com/

http://www.vitalsource.com/


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release to release. Desire2Learn welcomes comments and inquiries about the accessibility of

Desire2Learn Binder by corresponding with [email protected].

The Binder Shop

What is the Binder Shop?

Binder users now have the ability to search, discover and acquire access to tens of thousands of

digital eTextbooks from our feature rich web based Shop.

What type of titles will be listed in the Binder Shop?

Aside from premium eTextbooks in its dozens of subject categories, the Binder Shop will also

offer quality study guides, remedial and supplementary materials.

When will the Binder Shop be available?

The Binder Shop is planned to be available in the autumn of 2013.

In what countries will The Binder Shop be available?

The Binder Shop is initially planned to be available in Canada and the United States. Additional

countries are being planned for 2014.

What eTextbook publishing partners are Involved?

In the United States, the following textbook publishers have partnered with Desire2Learn for

content sale and distribution:

Cengage

McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Expect several more in the United States and Canada in the weeks and months ahead

Who can purchase eTextbooks through the Binder Shop?

We understand it’s important to offer learners eTextbooks in a model they’re already familiar

with – purchasing directly from an online shop.

What forms of payment can learners use to purchase eTextbooks through the Binder

Shop?

Learners will be able to pay by credit card or PayPal through the Binder Shop.

What are the purchase options for the eTextbooks?

There are initially two options planned: 180 day rental or perpetual purchase.

mailto:[email protected]


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Are eTextbooks purchased through the Binder Shop available for other Readers?

No. eTextbooks purchased through the Binder Shop are available only on Binder eTextbook

Readers.

Are learners able to purchase eTextbooks directly through the Binder Apps?

No. eTextbooks can only be purchased through the Binder Shop and subsequently fulfilled

through any of the Binder Apps. Desire2Learn is currently exploring in app purchases with

select device platforms and publishing partners.

Are eTextbooks purchased through the Binder Shop subject to usage restrictions?

Yes, eTextbooks purchased through the Binder Shop may be subject to usage restrictions. Such

restrictions may include controls related to: print, export, copy/paste, and number of devices.

The extent of any usage restriction applied depends on the title available and details are

communicated to learner in the details provided with the eTextbook listing within the Binder

Shop.

What about the model for institutional purchases of eTextbooks?

Desire2Learn acknowledges that institutions like yours may be evaluating and experimenting

with other purchase models. Once such model might involve an institutional purchase whereby

you and the respective publisher agree on price and title availability and look to an eTextbook

platform provider like Binder for distribution and consumption. Desire2Learn is currently

exploring this model with select clients and publishers and will consider for commercialization

in 2014.

Are there plans to offer OERs (Open Educational Resources)?

The goal of Desire2Learn with our clients is to allow for the discovery, distribution and

consumption of premium content for instructors and learners while removing barriers in access

to such content. OERs as freely accessible, usually openly licensed documents are a fit too for

the Binder Shop. Desire2Learn is currently exploring this model with select publishers and will

consider for commercialization later this year.

Binder eTextbooks and Book List

What is the Book List?

The Book List is a lightweight, installable widget available for the Desire2Learn Learning

Environment (LE). It enables effective communication between the Instructor and Learner of

featured textbooks. Its features benefit can benefit both instructors and learners.


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Where is the Book List located in the Learning Environment?

The Book List is installed directly on the course homepage, giving instructors and learners clear

visibility to the materials required or recommended as part of the course.

Why might an instructor want the Book List to be installed?

The course homepage is the first page learners see when accessing a course. This gives the

resources required as part of the course the attention they deserve, in a place that is clearly

visible to students. At a minimum, customizing the homepage with the Book List widget helps

instructors organize and highlight this important piece of course information.

What versions of the D2L LE does the Book List work with?

D2L LE version 10.0 and later is validated compatible with the Book List. Furthermore, this is

officially supported through the regular D2L Customer Support channel. D2 LE version 10.2 SP1

and later has the Book List packaged and installed by default.

What if Institution or Instructor doesn’t want the Book List installed?

Like any widget, the Book List can be removed or deleted by any user with the appropriate role-

based permissions – including the Instructor role.

What’s different about this Widget?

The Book List widget is a remote plugin that it is driven by calls out to a Binder Cloud Service in

order to perform its functions including but not limited to operations of textbook search and

display. The advantage of this is that Desire2Learn can iteratively maintain and update features

and catalog without necessitating the client to upgrade the Book List Widget. Note that this

Service is hosted in a datacenter located in the United States.

When is the Book List available?

It is currently available. Documentation on how to install is available in the D2L Community and

relevant for clients on a version less than 10.2 SP1.

How is the Book List upgraded?

Since the Book List widget is a remote plugin that it is driven by calls out to a Binder Cloud

Service there’s no need for the Admin team to be concerned about upgrades to adopt new

feature functionality or defects addressed.

What’s the source of the eTextbook metadata displayed?

eTextbook metadata (eg. ISBN, publisher name, author name) returned on search by an

Instructor or displayed to a learner is provided by the Binder Cloud Service that directly

references the trusted repositories of both the Binder Shop and WorldCat.

http://www.worldcat.org/


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What information is stored in the LMS?

The LMS schema stores the association of books (ie. ISBNs) to a course (ie. org unit). The

advantage of this involves exposing via Valence APIs to Binder or other eTextbook platforms in

order to facilitate unique eTextbook acquisition experiences for learners outside of the LMS.

Are there any learner-oriented features of Book List that involve integrating with the

Binder Shop?

For convenience for the learner, in the context of any eTextbook displayed and available in the

catalogue of the Binder Shop, an “Acquire with Binder” button is visible. The action associated

with this button is a launch point to the Binder Shop. In the Binder Shop, the learner can find

more details about the eTextbook including pricing so that they may make an informed

purchase. Note that this applies only to the digital form of textbooks hence eTextbooks.

Are there any instructor-oriented features of Book List that involve integrating with

the Binder Shop?

Desire2Learn and select publishing partners find it beneficial for instructors to have full access

to catalogue titles in order to adequately evaluate eTextbooks for course selection. For

convenience for the instructor, in the context of any eTextbook displayed and available in the

catalogue of the Binder Shop, an “Acquire Full Sample with Binder” button is visible. The action

associated with this button is a launch point to the details page in the Shop. It’s there in the

Binder Shop where the instructor can learn more about details including price for student so

that they may make an informed choice in considering selecting as featured for the course.

Note that this applies only to the digital form of textbooks hence eTextbooks and applies only

to titles with publishers willing to participate.

Which publishers are participating to allow for free instructor copies from the Binder

Shop?

At time of Binder Shop launch, the following publishing partners will allow for free instructor

copies:

McGraw-Hill Higher Education

Expect several more in the United States and Canada in the weeks and months ahead.

Can integration between the Book List and the Binder eTextbook be disabled?

The Book List can function with or without the integration to the Binder Shop enabled, and it is

off by default. It can be managed by any user with the appropriate role-based permissions –

including the Instructor role. Without the integration to the Binder Shop enabled, learners will

http://docs.valence.desire2learn.com/res/content.html#isbn


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not be able to access the Binder Shop directly from the LMS and Instructors will not have access

to free copies of eTextbooks mentioned above.

Can the Book List be configured so that a featured eTextbook points to our campus

book store for product details?

No. Linking to an external site from the LMS for eTextbook reference applies only to eTextbooks

available from the Binder Shop. Again, this must be enabled by your institution.

When is Book List integration with the Binder Shop available?

Desire2Learn is planning for the availability of the aforementioned integration features with the

Binder Shop for autumn 2013. This coincides with the planned launch of the Binder Shop and

likewise, these features will only available for the United States and Canada.

What are the benefits to the instructor?

For one, instructors can encourage awareness of featured Textbooks. Instructors put time and

effort into selecting which resources help satisfy learning objectives of the course. Displaying

the Book List in a prime spot on the course homepage highlights its importance and simplifies

access to it. Secondly, more recently, instructors have been exploring how they can enable the

delivery of education to be more personalized for learners. For some learners, having content

and instruction in digital form is an ideal medium. And lastly, instructors can use the Book List

to validate their selected ISBNs to ensure as a validation exercise that they are at assigning the

right resource.

What are the benefits to the learner?

Learners are more often than not asking their institution and instructors to incorporate digital

technologies and resources as many of them are “digital natives” and actually prefer it.

Learners are inconvenienced when there is not clear path for them to understand where they

easily acquire required resources for a course.

Binder App

What is the Binder App?

Desire2Learn is planning to adapt and release an update to Binder App for iOS that makes it

compatible for supporting eTextbooks. Also planned is the commercialization of Binder App for

Web in autumn 2013.


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What is different with the Binder App now that it supports eTextbooks?

Desire2Learn is planning to adapt and release an update to Binder App for iOS that makes it

compatible for supporting eTextbooks. This is necessary for content decryption and processing

of access and usage controls applied by publisher on purchased eTextbooks.

When can we expect a version of Binder App for the Web?

Also planned is the commercialization of Binder App for Web in autumn 2013.

When can we expect a version of Binder App for Android?

Desire2Learn is planning on commercializing Binder App for Android in autumn of 2013.The

initial version will be fully compatible with supporting eTextbooks.

What is the format of a purchased eTextbook?

It’s a proprietary format based on PDF. Desire2Learn is currently exploring this other types

including ePUB for commercialization in 2014.

Where is a purchased Stored for the learner?

A purchased eTextbook is associated with the user who can access across any of the Binder

Apps. A copy of the eTextbook is locally, securely Stored for any user accessing their Binder

eTextbook on Binder App for iOS or Binder App for Android. A user can also have session-based

access to their eTextbook via Binder App for Web.

How does an Textbook purchase affect the allotted storage quota.?

Any purchased eTextbook does not count against a user’s Binder Cloud storage quota.

Why the emphasis on tablets?

Learners today demand engaging and connected experiences with eText. The Desire2Learn

Binder experience is centered on e-text and specifically how learners manage e-text in support

of their individual learning goals.

Can learners expect smartphone versions of the Binder App?

Yes, Desire2Learn is considering functional fit and for commercialization in 2014.

Can leaners make purchases directly from the Binder App?

No. Learners cannot make purchases directly from Binder the eTextbook Reader. Desire2Learn

is currently exploring this model with select publishers and will consider for commercialization

in 2014.


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Desire2Learn Binder User Community

Why is Community identified by Desire2Learn as a platform component of the

eTextbook Platform?

Community quite simply refers to a unit of people with social ties that share common goals and

values. Desire2Learn believes that supportive and social aspects inside and outside of the

Binder experience can contribute to learner success. We want our learners to be productive

and to lean on Desire2Learn and each other to get the most of the experience as well.

What is the Desire2Learn Binder User Community?

A community-driven support model has been instituted to address issues, questions, and ideas

that address the unique needs of the learner with Desire2Learn’s direct to learner model. Our

learners can access the community here.

What if a learner has an issue and needs support for a purchased eTextbook?

A learner who purchases an eTextbook through Binder will have involved support through

email or phone. This learner is directly supported by a customer service representative at

Desire2Learn who can address any issue related to fulfillment, rendering and refund of a

purchased eTextbook.

Turn the Page Program

How Desire2Learn Binder will fit into my institution’s eTextbook strategy?

We acknowledge that adapting or even initially crafting an eTextbook strategy is an involved

process. The challenges in structuring the eTextbook delivery and acquisition processes are

compounded by the differing views and needs of the many stakeholders involved at your

institution. For this reason, we were excited to announce a new program called Turn the Page.

It’s a Desire2Learn program designed to facilitate a Binder eTextbook deployment of any extent

at your institution. Members of the Desire2Learn Binder team and academic colleagues of

yours can convene in a collaborative community to share challenges and successes during key

checkpoints. The goal of the program is to ensure your evaluation is grounded on having the

right resources at the right time.

What’s involved in Turn the Page?

Turn the Page members as institutional representatives join colleagues from other institutions

and members of the Binder product team in a community-oriented forum where we will share

resources, collaborate on best practices, and ensure that any deployment with Binder and

eTextbooks is supported by us according to your plan. As you implement your deployment, you

http://www.getsatisfaction.com/binder


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will generate unique insights to shape your eTextbook strategy. When you share these insights

with the Binder team, your institutions will be directly shaping the future of eTextbooks on

Binder.

Who can join Turn the Page?

We are looking for individuals who are involved with eTextbook strategy decisions at their

institutions to join us in the Turn the Page program. This includes but is not limited to: eText

strategists, instructional technologists, instructional designers, and faculty members.

Where can I find out more about the Turn the Page program?

Refer to the Turn the Page Program Brief in this package for more information. Additionally,

please contact us at [email protected] with any questions or feedback.

For more information regarding Desire2Learn Binder go to www.desire2learn.com/binder or

contact [email protected]

Desire2Learn and the molecule logo are trademarks of Desire2Learn Incorporated, registered in

the United States and other countries.

The Desire2Learn family of companies includes Desire2Learn Incorporated, D2L Ltd.,

Desire2Learn Australia Pty Ltd, Desire2Learn UK Ltd Desire2Learn Singapore Pte. Ltd. and D2L

Brasil Soluções de Tecnologia para Educação Ltda.


http://www.desire2learn.com/binder


Communication Package

Documents

desire2learn binder

binder shop

components of binder

etextbook platform faq

etextbook market

etextbook platforms

etextbook publishing

desire2learn incorporated