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Teaching Tips

What are Publisher e-Packs?

Publisher e-Packs are electronic versions of publisher created content that has usually been developed in conjunction with a textbook. e-Packs can contain:

• questions
• databases
• quizzes
• multimedia content
• glossaries
• interactive exercises
• teaching guides
• critical thinking activities such as case studies, essays and simulations
• e-books (an electronic version of the complete textbook).

Lecturers can choose to use an e-Pack either in conjunction with the textbook or separate from the textbook. Generally, e-Packs are customisable and publishers expect that lecturers who adopt e-Packs will add, delete and re-order the content so that it meets individual teaching and learning needs. This is great in that it allows you to still make the final decisions on what include in your course material. This is sometimes not so great when the e-pack developers go overboard on content. I’ve seen e-packs with questions databases containing over 500,000 questions (want to sort through that? I sure don’t)

But that aside, the really nice thing about e-packs is that they function in line with the textbooks students are reading. In better-developed e-packs, memory joggers, self-quizzes, games and other activities are often included which relate to the reading for that segment of the course.

But are e-packs for everyone?

Well first off, not every book has an available e-pack. But more and more, publishers are realizing the marketability of combining the text with some pre-packaged online content. They are great for facilitators or instructors who do not have time (or the creativity) to create effective content. They are typically developed by experienced instructional designers in coordination with the book’s author, so it is unlikely to see a bad product (unless it’s related to a bad book)

How do I get an e-pack? 

Typically you will be informed by the publisher when an e-pack is available for a new text. To check on the availability for an existing text just contact the publisher. If an e-pack is available, the request will usually ask for the WebCT/Blackboard Administrators name and email. A file link will be sent to the Administrator, but this will likely be the first this person has any information about the e-pack. So when you get your copy of that email, send a note to the administrator with details on what class and section it is for.

Keep in mind that just like restoring a backup, installing an e-pack will overwrite anything in the course shell. So be sure to make a backup before requesting the installation. Once installed, the e-pack sits as a (usually) fully developed course that is ready to use.

What impacts do e-packs have for students?

Moist e-packs use an access code which is included with the book.  The student enters the code the first time they access the content and from then on they are verified. A few are open just like a course where you develop our own content.

In most cases, the addition of the e-pack will result in no added expense to the student. The cost of e-pack development is typically absorbed by the publisher since it increases the marketability of the text. But in the case of students who purchase used books, it may be necessary for them to also purchase a new code from the publisher.

What are CNM’s and Distance Learning’s e-pack Policies?

There are no restrictions on e-pack usage as long as the file size isn’t outrageous. (I’ve not seen an e-pack that we couldn’t handle though) But there are some important guidelines to be aware of. First, start early. Since there multiple versions of learning management systems (like our Blackboard CE6) there are often glitches in the e-pack that require us to notify the publisher and have the designers re-tweak the files so that they will install properly. This process can sometimes take several weeks of going back and forth.

Second, if an e-pack contains a dynamic web tool called a powerlink, it will have to be installed in testing environment (on a development server) in conjunction with ITS. Powerlinks are great tools that allow a course shell to interact with a website outside of the LMS (learning management system) The potential problem here is that it allows an external web site to link to our system. So we have to run the e-pack in test environment to make sure it will not adversely impact our regular system. Also, if you should choose to try an e-pack which contains a powerlink, you need to allow for a minimum of one trimester lead time. Any powerlink requires extensive testing as well as a server restart which we currently can do only during scheduled downtime – typically during the term breaks.

Hopefully this addresses your questions about e-packs, but if you have any others feel free to send Brian Ditmer an email at bditmer@cnm.edu