Remote Learning: 6 Ways Digital Content Brings Us Closer

Remote learning is becoming the new normal as more colleges and universities make the transition to help their students reach their educational goals. Digital content is playing a vital role in that strategy.

Educators know that textbooks should never be something their students should worry about. Students have enough to juggle these days and trying to figure out what and where to get a textbook is last on their to-do list. Digital textbooks solve that dilemma.

But how can a digital textbook help remote students feel connected to their peers, faculty, and the larger community at your institution? Read below to learn the six ways digital textbooks can bring you and your students closer together.

#1 Ready. Set. Together.

Your remote students need access to a wide range of learning materials to answer their academic questions, do research, and prepare for exams. They want the vast resources your on-campus library has in print already, but they want to use it digitally — right now. That’s not a problem. We can help.

BibliU’s digital textbook platform integrates with your institution’s choice of LMS/VLE in a snap. All it takes is a short chat with your IT team, and we can get your institution up and running.

And with single sign-on, students log in to their digital content using their already provided university email and password. That means one less thing for students to remember, keep track of, and cause frustration.

#2 Search Every Book at Once

When students want to search and cherry-pick content for an assignment or brush up on a specific concept they haven't thought about in a while, BibliU's Discovery Search pulls it together for them. Instantly. All from a single point of entry.

BibliU's Discovery Search is a Google-like search experience that gives students the ability to find content not just from inside their textbooks but across your entire institutional catalog. It's powered by a constantly evolving algorithm to serve up relevant content to each and every student.

For students, that opens up a comprehensive volume of vetted educational content at their fingertips. For educators, it's knowing their remote students can dive deeper into their studies and have the same opportunities to learn whether they are on campus or not.

#3 Student Collaboration

Collaboration is undoubtedly a vital distance learning tool. It’s a great way to keep students engaged and feel connected in their learning experience without visiting a physical campus.

BibliU’s highlight and comment features instantaneously sync across all devices for a truly seamless experience. And having the ability to share content snippets easily during a group assignment gets everyone on the same page and helps the project stay moving in the right direction.

Sharing ideas, offering feedback, and working together builds student relationships no matter where they may be geographically.

#4 Equal Access for All

We built our digital textbook platform with the needs of a lot of different users in mind. So even though your students are off-campus, BibliU's accessibility features ensure all students can engage with their learning in ways that work best for them. It's a platform with built-in customization features like changing font size and color adjustments to individualize the learning experience.

Plus, we live in a digital world. And students expect the same digital experience in their studies as they do in their everyday life. For students who thrive on watching videos, looking at diagrams, or listening along with text-to-speech, digital textbooks (on any device) allow for a more enriching and personalized experience.

Equally important is to provide this experience online, offline and on all types of devices. BibliU's cross-platform access is mirrors the likes of Netflix and Spotify — all functionality is automatically synced between devices. Both online and offline.

#5 Seeing the Whole Student

Being a remote learner doesn't mean students are removed from the support your institution can offer to make their learning journey successful. With BibliU's reading data linked directly to an institution's learning analytics dashboard, educators can identify gaps in learning and provide needed support sooner rather than later.

Knowing when and how often a student is participating, seeing time spent reading, and tracking accessibility indicators gives a transparent view into where a student might be struggling. It provides educators with critical real-time data so they can have personalized conversations with their students. That makes the difference.

#6 Don’t Stress the Tech

Bringing a digital content strategy online is a process. Students and educators will have questions when technical issues arise. At BibliU, we've heard them all big and small.

We understand institutions don't have the bandwidth to worry about tech support for a software app. That's why institutions offload these issues onto us to solve. Any support queries sent via our 24/7 live chat or emailed to us will always be responded with quick expertise.

That extends your response team and frees you up to focus on what your institution does best — supporting your students in achieving their educational goals.

It's hard to ignore. Remote learning is growing in popularity, and providing a digital content solution for students is becoming increasingly important in building a community of connected learners. It’s an exciting time to be in higher education.

Digital Textbooks for the Digital Age

Improving accessibility in higher education starts with course materials, whether it's e-textbooks, monographs, or courseware. Technology, as it rapidly evolves, can answer students' needs and at the same time help academics shape their courses to fit those same needs. BibliU, as a Learning Enablement platform, is designed around digital content of all types easy to access so students can succeed in their studies. So whether your institution has just opened up a blended learning program or would like to improve an existing program, BibliU can help.