New McGraw-Hill eBooks Offer College Students Affordable Access to Digital Textbooks Anytime, Anywhere

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Jun 26, 2019, 08:26 ET

NEW YORK, June 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Taking another step forward in the company's accelerating pace of digital and product innovation, McGraw-Hill announced today that its new McGraw-Hill eBooks, along with a free, corresponding ReadAnywhere mobile app for smartphones and tablets, will launch this month for college students.

The new eBook solution is the latest addition to McGraw-Hill's suite of affordable print and digital course material options in higher education, which saved students $55 million in 2018.

McGraw-Hill eBooks give students the flexibility to study anytime, anywhere either on their computers or via the ReadAnywhere app on their mobile devices, even when they're offline. The eBooks provide a much more dynamic experience than traditional eBooks, with features such as annotation tools, text search capability, and the option to read the text aloud.

"McGraw-Hill is committed to offering learning tools that improve student outcomes and support educational equity through broader access and affordability," said Scott Virkler, Chief Product and Operating Officer for higher education at McGraw-Hill. "Our expanded offering provides even more flexibility to all students. This is particularly important for students who are balancing tremendous demands on their time."

The profile and lifestyle of the average 21^st century student has changed significantly over the last 20 years. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the average age of today's U.S. college students is 27, and 28 percent of students have children or care for family members. And, according to a new McGraw-Hill study that will be published in September 2019, nearly two-thirds of students are working full-time and taking classes part-time, and 28 percent say they struggle to balance work, life, and family obligations.

"Students' lives are more challenging now than they ever have been before," Virkler said. "We shouldn't assume that all students have unlimited access to mobile data and internet connectivity. Therefore, it's vitally important that we provide affordable and flexible options that meet each student's individual needs and circumstances. With the McGraw-Hill eBook, we are providing students with even more options that allow learning to happen within their busy lives, anywhere, anytime."

"The McGraw-Hill eBook is highly engaging and versatile for both instructors and students," said Wayne Thomas, interim dean at the University of Oklahoma and co-author of the best-selling book, Financial Accounting. "Students make vital connections and really learn the concepts, not just data points."

Thomas added that for himself, as an author, the eBook enables him to be more creative when devising content. "Then when I put on my professor's cap, I can offer more learning options for my diverse group of students," he said.

McGraw-Hill eBooks will be available for fall 2019 courses on the company's new "Bookshelf" website, https://myebooks.mheducation.com/, and via the ReadAnywhere app.

About McGraw-Hill
McGraw-Hill is a learning science company that delivers personalized learning experiences that drive results for help students, parents, educators and professionals. We focus on educational equity, affordability and learning success to help learners build better lives. Headquartered in New York City, McGraw-Hill has offices across North America, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and South America, and makes its learning solutions for PreK-12, higher education, professionals and others available in more than 75 languages. Visit us at mheducation.com or find us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter.