MOOCs as textbook outlets?
Interesting ways for publishers to leverage MOOCs (and vice versa)…
When a course is finished, the participants have the option to purchase the full textbook outright, or the abbreviated Coursera version. They could purchase that book through Chegg, and Coursera would receive a small percentage of the money, similar to how it already benefits from linking to books sold through Amazon.
Mr. Johnson said the arrangement also has another advantage for publishers: data. “Because the free versions of the books will be read through an e-reader, we’ll also get information about usage,” he said. “How students use the electronic text, how they use the material, will be tracked through software.”
Ms. Koller said the partnership could result in a more personalized, data-driven experience for instructors, too, allowing Coursera to improve courses in real time.
