XanEdu to Discuss Initial Results of Nationwide iPad and Kindle Tests in MBA Classes

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- XanEdu, the leading faculty-preferred provider of custom course materials and textbooks, today announced that the company will discuss preliminary findings of classroom tests conducted across the country to determine the feasibility and market readiness of handheld devices for content distribution in the higher education space.  The session, titled: "Are E-Book Readers and Handheld Devices Ready for EMBA Prime Time," will take place on October 25, 2010 at 1:15pm and 2:30pm CT at the Executive MBA Council's 2010 Annual Conference  in Vancouver, BC Canada.  

Tyler Steben, Vice President, Custom Publishing at XanEdu Publishing, Inc. will co-present on a panel with Janice Dolnick, Director, Boston University EMBA and Phillip Sanchez, Director, UT Dallas EMBA. Together, they will share the results of class tests conducted this fall with the Kindle and the iPad.

"Our panel will examine the practical and logistical issues related to deploying learning materials in new digital formats, and pedagogical issues that arose while doing so," said Steben. "The collective experience from the perspective of program directors and a custom course materials vendor will offer unique insight to the audience."

Conference attendees will be looking for best practices in hopes of preparing their Executive MBA Programs for the future and staying ahead of the technology curve. Top of mind will be issues related to convenience and cost-effectiveness of digital publishing solutions.

Steben adds, "This session is meant to convey real-world lessons learned and discuss frankly what worked well and where the technology fell short. We'll also include something frequently missing from strategic discussions of new learning technology - the voice of the student."

XanEdu customers need to be prepared for a variety of scenarios on campus as new technologies emerge and tablet devices continue to compete on features, price and overall value.  

"E-book readers and handheld devices like the Kindle and the iPad claim to represent the future of content distribution and consumption in higher education classrooms," said Dan Arbour, CEO, XanEdu Publishing, Inc.  "We believe that students will come to classes with a multitude of different devices and expect universities and vendors who provide e-publishing services to support delivery of course materials in various formats.  At XanEdu, we've adopted a device-neutral delivery strategy and believe that course materials should be made available to students in a multitude of formats that enhance the learning experience."

XanEdu is using the information and student feedback gathered in its nationwide classroom tests to design and develop a feature-rich iPad app for reading custom course materials. The XanEdu iPad app is scheduled for release in December 2010.  

About XanEdu Publishing, Inc.

XanEdu is the largest custom course pack provider in North America, with over 15,000 titles published annually at over 2000 institutions. XanEdu custom course materials are available in traditional print or digital formats. The company also offers Copley Custom Textbooks, complete copyright services, business cases from all of the leading publishers and an extensive database of other popular content. For more information, visit www.xanedu.com or call 800-218-5971.

SOURCE XanEdu Publishing, Inc.