NABOTU News
November 17, 2009: Commercial Publishers experiment with Open Access
Ugandan universities reportedly make the lowest investments into book and journal procurements in the region. Students are currently spending several thousands of shillings on photocopying whole course books and lecturer’s hand outs every semester. This is with copyright restrictions notwithstanding.
The difficulty in accessing learning materials for cash strapped Ugandan students is the subject of a research investigation by NABOTU. The research is exploring ways through which content providers such as commercial publishers can make available online some of their content under a flexible license such as creative commons. The research is also looking at what business models would guarantee income streams for the publishers. The idea is to grow a body of content that students can freely access.
Early reports from the two companies show that the books have been well received in Uganda and abroad. The books have been downloaded many times in different countries including Uganda. The companies are optimistic about the potential of the internet for business expansion. NABOTU is currently tracking the impact of the free downloads on sales figures for each of the titles to ascertain the viability of a free access business model.
NABOTU is optimistic that a free business model making accessible learning materials required by students is perhaps the best way for boosting educational quality.
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